Fire and Ice
by blue sakuras
Summary: AU Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are at war. So far, the battle has been equal, their power matched. But then they hear of a girl... a girl who's power surpasses all on the land. But there's a slight problem... who's going to get the girl? InuXKag
1. Prologue

AN: Hello all! I've decided to put up a new story. But don't expect an update until DYLM? Is done.  
  
I have too many unfinished fics that need to be completed. . .  
  
Don't worry! They're on my to do list! (along with cleaning my room; that'll never happen and finding a job; that'll happen in October, 15 year old baby!)  
  
So. . .  
  
Yeah.  
  
~*~  
  
Alone. . .  
  
That was what she had always been. . .  
  
No human companions. . .  
  
No one to love. . .  
  
No one to cry with. . .  
  
No one to laugh with. . .  
  
It made for a very lonely life.  
  
But what else could you do but run?  
  
What else could you do if everyone else wanted you dead?  
  
What else could you do besides flee for you life?  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Prologue  
  
bs~  
  
"We've been doing this long enough to know that's what he wants us to do!" Sango yelled at Inuyasha.  
  
He only scowled before pointing to another spot.  
  
"No, that won't work. See these mountains? Youkai hide there. Weak ones, but there are too many." Bankotsu stated, tapping the map. "How about here?" and he pointed towards a trail that lead through a forest and ending up right behind Sesshoumaru's fortress.  
  
Miroku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and it leads us behind his main fort. That'll be good for bombing."  
  
The other three standing around the table all froze and stared at him.  
  
"What?" Miroku stated, a bit unnerved by the stares he was getting. "I like explosions!"  
  
Sango slowly shook her head. "And you're supposed to be a monk." Sighing, she pointed to Bankotsu. "Besides, that won't work. See?" and pointed to the trail he had mentioned and trailed it backwards with her finger, to reveal that it lead into a swamp. "I don't think anyone's going to want to go that way. . ."  
  
"Aw. . . Damn it!" Inuyasha grumbled. "We've been fuckin' doing this for five DAYS! Can't we get a good starting point done?"  
  
Bankotsu sighed and grabbed his Banryuu. "I agree. I'm tired of this. You wanna go spar?" he nodded in Inuyasha's direction. Sango sighed and slapped a hand onto her forehead. "My gods. You're the freakin' general!" Bankotsu looked at her, as if she was insane. She just slapped both hands onto her face and mumbled incomphrehendable words to herself.  
  
The hanyou, however, grinned, and mouthed the words 'you're on' as to not let Sango, who was fuming, see him.  
  
"Irresponsible. . . no good. . ." was all the men heard her mutter as she stormed out of the room.  
  
"I bet two hundred yen that Bankotsu wins!" Miroku chirped gaily and out of the blue.  
  
Inuyashak, in return, glared. "Hey!"  
  
Miroku rubbed the back of his head and looked sheepish. "Oh. . . I mean, five yen that Inuyasha wins!"  
  
Inuyasha growled, leapt out of his chair and strode towards the door.  
  
As he left, he slammed the door shut, creating an echo down the corrider. Bankotsu looked at Miroku. "Who are you betting with?"  
  
Miroku smirked. "No one." Bankotsu replied by giving the relaxed 'monk' a dead panned look and walking out of the room.  
  
Miroku sighed, only to slap his neck with another irritated sigh.  
  
"Hello Myouga-sama."  
  
^.~  
  
She ran.  
  
Her pursuers would catch her if she stopped once, even once. She longed for a taste of water. She could hear many springs and streams she could quench her thirst with.  
  
But she wouldn't.  
  
They would catch her. Then how good would the cold water taste if she were a prisionor? How would it help her, if she had nowhere to run?  
  
No. It would be beter to run.  
  
So she ran. As swift as the wind and as gracefully as a swan. They would never catch her if she just kept running.  
  
She was tiring out, but so were they. Soon, they would be too weary to chase after her any longer. Then she could drink.  
  
She could drink all night if she wished. After running faster, urged on by the thought of drinking water, she gained more distance.  
  
She ran. Faster than before. Faster than any other time she had ever ran. Soon, she couldn't even hear their heavy breathing anymore, let alone their quiet footsteps. But they weren't quiet enough.  
  
When they had tried to ambush her. . . What was it? An hour ago? Two hours?  
  
She had heard them, and ran. Aoi had delayed them a bit, but they soon caught up with her.  
  
They might have been worthy opponents.  
  
But now, she had outrun them, and so she could rest.  
  
She could rest until they were replenished with energy. Then she would have to run again.  
  
But for now, she would rest.  
  
~*~  
  
AN: THIS IS THE PROLOGUE. That is why it's so short^^  
  
Hope that was interesting. . .  
  
Blah. So I hope y'all enjoy it. . . and it won't become random (like DYLM?)  
  
Because. . . I HAVE A PLOT! (sweatdrops)  
  
Yeah. I do.  
  
^^  
  
ta ta~ bs~ (bullshit^^) 


	2. Learning of Her

AN: Hello.  
  
I got a REALLY good response for this so I decided to update!  
  
(and from the fact that I'm suffering a little writer's block on DYLM?. . .)  
  
Oh and I cleared up a little mishap with the pairings.  
  
Just to let you know, it's Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Sango, and Sesshoumaru/Kagura.  
  
I'm not sure on any other couples yet so just. . .  
  
Enjoy~  
  
~*~  
  
Alone.  
  
It's such a useless word.  
  
Some use it to describe what they feel when they are by themselves.  
  
But it's never true.  
  
Someone else is always there. . .  
  
Always.  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Chapter One  
  
Learning of Her  
  
bs~  
  
"I still say there all idiots." Sango grumbled to Kikyou as she stirred the stew. Kikyou gracefully arched an eyebrow at the cook. The aromatic scent of the stew filled the kitchen up, making it appear rather homey. 'I can't say that about the castle though.' Sango thought grimly, thinking of the bare, stone walls that slunked besides the corrider floor, which was only under a piece of simple cloths. 'Inuyasha's such a fool.' She thought as she remembered the dwindling food supply.  
  
"Inuyasha too?" Sango mentally slapped herself.  
  
"U-uh. You know I didn't mean it like that!" She burst out, not wanting to get scolded and maybe even punished for that remark.  
  
"It's alright. I know you meant it anyway." Kikyou said in such an emotionless way, so dead-panned that Sango couldn't help bursting out laughing.  
  
"Yeah." Kikyou stated as she began giggling.  
  
Soon, the nonstop giggling became full out laughter.  
  
Kikyou was sprawled on the table holding her stomach, and laying on her side, laughing her heart out.  
  
Sango had slid to the ground, she too holding her stomach.  
  
Forgotten to them, the pot of stew kept bubbling. . .  
  
^.~  
  
"I swear you're getting faster." Bankotsu swore as he dodged yet another blow from Inuyasha. Both men were sweating like crazy and were panting for breath. But while Inuyasha was still smirking, and bouncing every other step, Bankotsu was leaning against his Banryuu.  
  
"Nope. It's your - " and he lunged for another blow, but was blocked skillfully by Bankotsu, "imagination. That sword is keeping you DOWN!" and he struck, this time hitting its target, Bankotu's face.  
  
Bankotsu went flying across the room, slamming into the wall and sliding down with a loud 'thump'.  
  
"A-asshole. . ." Bankotsu muttered weakly, closing his eyes.  
  
"Aw. . ." Inuyasha came over and offered his defeated general a hand. Bankotsu took it quickly. "Next time, find another, lighter, weapon to use against me."  
  
That was when Sango ran towards him screaming. It wasn't until a second later that Inuyasha fully comprehended what she was saying.  
  
"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE!!!!"  
  
^.~  
  
"I still don't see why I have to be the one to do this!" she yelled. The man sipping his tea continued to drink. After he had had his fill, he put the cup down.  
  
The woman was glaring at him.  
  
"Because, my dear," he sneered, "YOU are the only woman passible enough to seduce that prince. And besides, YOU won't fall in love with him. Remember who has your heart." He mocked tauntingly.  
  
Kagura sighed. "Fine. But why does wolfy boy have to come with me?" she cocked her head to the forementioned wolf youkai, laying on the ground and examining his hand. "What the hell are you doing anyway?" she snapped. He graced her with a lazy gaze and went back to looking over his hand.  
  
"Something's not right there. . ."  
  
"That, Kouga, is because of the Shikon. Can't you feel its presence here? I can just sense the power coming off of it." Naraku sighed. "Can't wait to get it."  
  
Kagura drew in a sharp breath. "Men. . ."  
  
Naraku's eyes drew into slits and directed them at her. "Don't take that tone with me, you insolent wench!" Squeezing something in his hand, he smiled cruelly as Kagura gasped and collasped to the floor, clutching her chest, one hand reaching out as if to hold onto someone's hand.  
  
Naraku noticed this and sneered. "Don't ever expect anyone to come for you. A pitiful woman such as yourself deserves no one and will, in return, get no one. Remember that."  
  
Kouga, who had lifted himself up into a sitting position, watched with pity at the girl struggling on the ground. But Naraku noted this and an interested glimmer showed up in his eyes.  
  
"Kouga. I have a job for you too. I have heard of a woman. . ."  
  
^.~  
  
". . . so powerful, that she could easily tip the scales on the war." Myouga finished. Miroku gawked at the flear for a minute before jumping out of his chair.  
  
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BEFORE!" he shouted.  
  
Myouga adjusted the collar of his shirt uncomfortably. "Well, Ah. . . one had to go and check to see if this rumor is true."  
  
"IS IT?" Miroku yelled impatiently.  
  
"Yes. I have confirmed it to be true. You see, Sesshoumauru had dispatched men to go hunt after her yesterday. They found her, but she eluded them. We need to hurry if we want her on our side." Myouga stated as he jumped onto Miroku's robes, and hung for dear life as the monk ran like a horde of ugly women were at his back. (^^)  
  
Turning round the corner, Miroku noted all the smoke and instantly forgot why he was running. "What's going on?" he tapped a servant passing by.  
  
"Lady Sango forgot she was cooking again." Miroku grinned. Time to comfort the 'distressed' maiden!  
  
Well, she would be after Inuyasha was through with her. That man had ways of making even he, Miroku, guilty. That was an amazing feat.  
  
Not that he'd ever want to relive that experience though.  
  
"What's happened?" he asked as he walked up towards Inuyasha and Sango.  
  
Inuyasha was looking very mad. . .  
  
"Oi!" Miroku tried again, and it caught Inuyasha's attention.  
  
"This woman," he growled as he grabbed Miroku's collar roughly, "has YET to explain to me why she has burned the food for the FIFTH time this week."  
  
Sango eeped and started running off. "SORRY! I'LL FIX IT!" she yelled back.  
  
Inuyasha turned his attention back onto Miroku, choosing to chew out Miroku, since he was less inclined to cry.  
  
Well, except for that one time. . .  
  
^.~  
  
She leapt through the trees, so fast that she appeared to be flying.  
  
But her pursuers knew better.  
  
They had been informed by Lord Sesshoumaru of her skills.  
  
All they had to do was chase her until she was exhaustated. Then, they would capture her.  
  
But the problem was, she just wouldn't stop running!  
  
But there was that problem with the huge white wolf. . .  
  
It had already taken out half of the men sent to capture her. And that was a LOT.  
  
But none of the men dared return to the fortress without the girl. They knew the wrath of Sesshoumaru.  
  
^.~  
  
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Kouga growled. Kagura sighed and glanced back at the irritated wolf.  
  
"I meant what I said."  
  
"But you can't possibly be serious!" he snarled.  
  
Kagura sighed. She turned around. She pulled out her fan.  
  
And then she proceeded to whack Kouga on the head with it.  
  
"OW! FUCK!" Kouga whined as he backed away from the violent wind user. He rubbed his head and scowled at the smirking woman. "Why do I have to be the one captured?"  
  
"Because, you my not so dear friend, won't be groped by those perverts!" and adding a devious smile to her face, she added, ". . .unless they're gay. Which I hear is a lot there."  
  
Kouga snarled. "If you fuckin' want me to do this, then shut the hell up!"  
  
Kagura snickered. "So I'm finally getting to ya huh?"  
  
"You got to me the moment we met." And he stormed off, looking for the entrance of the fort.  
  
^.~  
  
"WHAT?" Inuyasha yelled. He stared in disbelief at the flat flea on his palm weakly muttering incomprehensible words.  
  
"Well, Myouga-sama has explained to me that there is in fact a woman that can strengthen our side. However, Sesshoumaru has already dispatched men but they have yet to catch her."  
  
Inuyasha stared.  
  
"I'm going to kill someone from all this stress." He ground out, only to be thwacked on the head by Sango.  
  
"Better not be me! Y'anno I'm the one who keeps the men in shape." Sango stated jokingly. Inuyasha had apparently forgotten about her little dinner mishap and she intended to keep it that way.  
  
"You sure keep me awake Sango!" Miroku commented with a leer in his eyes. Sango blushed furiously while muttering 'Perverted lech'.  
  
Well it was either that or 'Peaches and leeks'. Miroku's hearing wasn't that good.  
  
" - travel at dawn! Miroku, Sango, and I will be going as will two dozen soldiers!" Inuyasha barked out and looked at Miroku. "Got that?"  
  
"Huh?" Inuyasha cuffed the monk on the head while storming out.  
  
"You, me, him, and two dozen soldiers will be going tomorrow to look for that girl." Sango hissed in his direction as she left to go prepare their food supply.  
  
Miroku grinned. Sango was all his now. . .  
  
^.~  
  
"I see that you have failed the task." He spoke calmly observing the man trembling before him.  
  
"Our troops are doing our best My Lord! We have devised a plan to get her to - "  
  
"Silence, you fool." Sesshoumaru growled. "I have to do everything myself."  
  
"B-but sir!"  
  
Sesshoumaru glanced down displeased with the man. Striking his hand out once, he pulled his hand back and noted the blood. With disgust, he motioned for the men standing still as statues behind him to clean up the bloody mess. . .  
  
^.~  
  
Collasping beside a tree, she sat there for what seemed like forever. Panting, she looked around wearily for her pursuers.  
  
To her surprise, there was none. Slowly standing up, she peered around her tree and the forest, trying to sense them.  
  
But they were no where.  
  
Kagome sank back down and sighed, only to have a net thrown over her.  
  
Two men leapt out of the trees and one poked her with some poisonous substance. Trying to get up, Kagome found it harder and harder to use her arms.  
  
Slowly, she drifted off, losing conscious of everything.  
  
~*~  
  
AN: I hope no one's disappointed O.o  
  
I'm off to Sacremento tomorrow!Yay!  
  
^^  
  
Thanks for the reviews^^ (it motivates me)  
  
I didn't expect to update so soon, but since I got so many nice reviews. . .  
  
bs~ 


	3. Capturing Her

AN: Hello. Read. Review. Ok?  
  
Good.  
  
~*~  
  
Running is considered a joy to some.  
  
They say that it releases the tension in their muscles and lets them forget their worries.  
  
But. . .  
  
What if the worries were you weren't running fast enough?  
  
That your pursuers would catch you?  
  
Then what would you do?  
  
Fight?  
  
Go peacefully?  
  
Or just. . . lose sense of what is real?  
  
And fantasy and reality collide?  
  
Then who will come when you call for help?  
  
. . . the people you least expect. . .  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Capturing Her (notice where all my titles are headed for?)  
  
bs~  
  
Inuyasha sniffed the air, his eyes furrowed into a frown as an unpleasant scent permeated his nose. "Sesshoumaru." He growled as he quickly sprung forth into a run.  
  
Miroku quickly chased after his lord and Sango rode Kirara along side him.  
  
The two dozen or so men just stood there.  
  
"Aren't we supposed to be doing something?" one man asked.  
  
The others looked at him as if he was mentally incapcitated. "NO!" and they all went back to doing their respectable projects, which consisted of picking their teeth and throwing rocks at bugs.  
  
^.~  
  
Instinctively, Kagome snapped her eyes open and surveyed her surroundings. Good, those soldiers were fools.  
  
Did they really think she would sleep as a captive?  
  
As she slowly concentrated on the bindings on her arms and legs, they were set aflame. The red, sparking fire died as soon as the rope was broken.  
  
Kagome quickly reached up and loosened her gag, and started walking out of the room. She would find her way out by herself, quickly and quietly. If that wasn't possible, she would take down as many people as possible.  
  
Opening the door, Kagome peeked out and slowly stepped into the hallway. She quickly strided down, sniffing the air for anyone. There were many youkai scents, but one that stood out.  
  
It held an air of power and fierceness. It was a dog youkai, who was un- mated, was very hard to anger, and. . .  
  
Was right behind her.  
  
^.~  
  
Inuyasha stopped suddenly in his tracks, causing Miroku and Sango to collide with each other, in a rush to not run into Inuyasha himself.  
  
"Fuck!" he growled and began sniffing the ground on his hands and knees.  
  
Miroku sighed and rubbed between his eyes, avoiding Sango's menacing look from the embarassing contact they were just in. "Did you lose the scent?" Inuyasha 'hmph'ed, which Miroku took as a yes.  
  
"Well, Sango, would you like a game of poker? Strip poker?" he grinned casually. Sango glared and turned her attention to Inuyasha, but kept an eye on Miroku's hands.  
  
"Should I set up camp?"  
  
"Hmph" Sango sweatdropped, and turned to Miroku once more to ask him to decifer the answer Inuyasha gave.  
  
Instead, she found him centimeters away from her butt. "HENTAI!" and slapped him soundly.  
  
Miroku, looking reproachfully at her, sighed and resumed his original position by the tree. "He said yeah."  
  
Sango huffed and asked him another question. "Should I ask you from now on?"  
  
"Yeah." He answered, shrugging casually. Both were in an awkward situation. Miroku, not used to Sango being so kind, and Sango was not used to Miroku sitting there and not attempting to grope her.  
  
They sat there for a while, watching Inuyasha sniff.  
  
Miroku and Sango shrugged, both getting up to retrieve things for their camp.  
  
As she headed into the woods, Miroku followed closely behind. Scowling, she turned around and snapped at him. "Why are you following me?"  
  
"There are bandits here. Can't have our cook getting hurt." He replied casually as he scanned the horizon.  
  
"Oh." She blushed faintly and turned to stare straight in front of her, hoping he didn't notice her slowing pace. Why would he care so much about her safety? Besides, she knew how to take care of herself. Glancing back she noticed him reached out towards her, Sango immediately turned around, and only to have his 'wandering' hand lay onto her chest. Blushing furiously, she screamed. "KEEP YOUR DIRTY THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF!" and slapped him hard. She was so mad that she would have decked him with Hiraikotsu, but she had left that with Kirara. Unfortunately.  
  
"So. . ." Miroku began, as they were collecting firewood, quite awhile after his last groping attempt. There had been no talk for awhile and the silence was irritating him. "Do you have dirty little thoughts?"  
  
Sango glared hard at him, stopping her task at hand. "I would never lower myself to your lecherous ways in a hundred years."  
  
Miroku's confident grin faltered as he went back to picking up sticks (^^). Sango smirked a little. It was very amusing. "Wait – forget I said that."  
  
Miroku's smirk came back on full force as he looked up hoefully. Sango frowned a little. He was SUCH a pervert. "I would never do anything remotely like that for all eternity."  
  
"Sango!"  
  
"Bye bye lech." She stated casually as she walked away, handling her hoarded stack into an organized pile in her arms and whistled merrily as she walked.  
  
"She hit you again bouzu?" Inuyasha asked as he jumped down from the tree he was napping in. The noise had woken him He had long given up on finding Sesshoumaru's scent, claiming that some 'fuckin' flower' was blocking his nose. He would try again later.  
  
"No. What makes you say that?"  
  
"That red hand print on your left cheek."  
  
Miroku chuckled and shook his head. "Ah. . . Inuyasha, I painted this on! This is so Sango feels that I have been slapped enough." Miroku mentally patted himself on the back for such a good reason. He would never admit to Inuyasha that Sango slapped him on a daily basis. He was so glad that he always outsmarted his lord.  
  
Inuyasha, on the other hand, sweatdropped. "O. . .K. . ." Walking back towards camp, he distinctly heard Miroku whispering, 'got him again good. . .'  
  
Something like that. Or were those damned daffodils clogging his ears too?  
  
Well, it was either that or 'chicken pot pie good', which he seriously doubted it was. . .  
  
^.~  
  
He stood there, studying her. Kagome could have slaughtered him right then and there, with his smug grin and superior attitude. Snarling, she glared at him. "What is it you fuckin' want with me?"  
  
He only smiled. "Call me Sesshoumaru."  
  
"Hello bastard."  
  
"I will not tolerate such insolence!" he growled, causing her to smirk. What had that scent of his tell her?  
  
Oh yeah, he was an emotionless bastard. Give or take a few notches. (on the scale to judge people's emotional balance. . . )  
  
"I highly doubt that you can't." she replied, spitting in his face as she did so. "Go rot in hell."  
  
Sesshoumaru snarled and was clenching her neck in his grasp in a matter of a second. The shackles that bound her to the wall clanged and all she did was stare defiantly at Sesshoumaru as he slowly began cutting off her air supply.  
  
"You will do well to listen to me. We are at war. I need you to win. That is all. Be prepared to be a good little servant!" he roared.  
  
"So wh – " and she was cut off as a soldier burst into the room.  
  
"What is it?" he snapped. Kagome took this opportunity to sneak away the dagger hidden in his sleeve.  
  
"L-lord Sesshoumaru." He gasped as he knelt.  
  
"Get up you insolent fool. Tell me what is SO dire that you need to bother me." He growled, his voice emotionless, but his words were laced with poison.  
  
The soldier stood up slowly, and Kagome could see his knees knocking together.  
  
So that was how influencial and scary he was. . .  
  
"There is a huge youkai wolf, a white one. He's slaughtering our numbers. So far, it's been estimated five hundred." He spoke quickly. Sesshoumaru clenched his fists, forgetting that he was holding Kagome's neck. This caused her to cough a bit.  
  
Turning his attention back on her, he smiled. It held shadows of what was to come and Kagome didn't like it one bit.  
  
Releasing her, he quickly strode out of the door. "You will guard this door with your life. No one is to leave or enter!" his eyes flashed red as he spoke.  
  
"Y-yes sir!" the soldier stuttered as he took a glance at Kagome and quickly shut the door.  
  
Kagome sighed. "What an idiot."  
  
How to hell was he supposed to watch her if he was outside the room? Sighing, she got the dagger in her hand and chanted words. "Hi. . . Yuki. . . Mizu. . ."  
  
And the dagger began glowling a purple color and she dropped it straight onto the ground, letting it pulse and flash a wave of pale purple color over the room.  
  
The shackles cracked instantaniously. She rubbed her wrists and walked towards the window. Looking outside, she noted that she was on the very top.  
  
"Oh well. AOI~" she yelled out. And then she stood on the windowsill and leapt downwards.  
  
The soldier rushed into the room and found it empty. Panicking, he sounded the alarm.  
  
^.~  
  
Riding on the white wolf that had been tormenting Sesshoumaru's army, Kagome whooped and laughed.  
  
'Don't be happy yet. We still have yet to get away.' He reminded her. Turning her head, she saw that Sesshoumaru's army was still after them. They were slowing down though. . . But the lord himself was nowhere to been seen.  
  
Frowning she turned back around. "What can you tell me of a guy named Sesshoumaru?"  
  
^.~  
  
"Okay! We can stop here for awhile." A rough voice barked out. The two dozen or so men scattered to sit under trees, or to find streams to refill their water supply.  
  
The man who had yelled out orders was distince. He was standing at a table, looking over a large piece of paper on it. Another man, with short black hair tired in a small ponytail, was standing next to him.  
  
"We really should stop for today. You've worn all the men all over. Besides, Inuyasha, I don't think we'll get what we came for. I think Sesshoumaru's got to her already."  
  
Inuyasha snarled. "Shut up Miroku. I know what I'm doing. Who's the boss?" he shot at him.  
  
Miroku raised his arms in a defensive position. "Ok. Ok. Touchy. . ." he mumbled as he walked off.  
  
Unknown to them, two pairs of eyes were watching.  
  
'Thanks Aoi. Is this why you brought me here? To see these morons in action?'  
  
'Pretty much.'  
  
The two looked back at the table, only to find that Inuyasha had also wandered off.  
  
'Did you see where he went Aoi?' she looked over to her faithful pet. He shook his head, and in response, she leapt off the tree they were on.  
  
Closing her eyes, she placed her hands in positions in front of her and began glowing a pale blue. When she opened them, Aoi was tied up on the groun in front of her. She immediately spun around. Seeing no one, she relaxed and started walking up to Aoi. His eyes were pleading her to leave as she neared him.  
  
"Well, you aren't as hard to catch as they all make it out to be." A voice spoke behidn her. She instinctively turned around, only to see a sword poised at her neck.  
  
"Nicely down." She said, smriking, as she backed up two steps. "But one problem, I have the upperhand." And drew her own sword, the sheath still strapped on her back.  
  
"I don't think so." Inuyasha said, in a confident and cocky tone, but Kagome could see in his eyes the need for challenge. The glint that was meant for her, and he was the predator, and she the prey. Well, she wouldn't be bested.  
  
"And why is that?" she asked, keeping her voice empty of emotion, but let a shimmer of amusement show in her eyes.  
  
"Look behind you." He answered simply.  
  
"A simple minded trick. I show have gussed it, being that it came from a simple minded fool." To her surprise, he only smirked. An annoying smirk, which showed her he wasn't playing games. She snapped her head back to see Miroku holding a knife to Aoi's throat.  
  
"Sorry babe." He smiled apologetically. "But give up and no one gets hurt. Much." He said while she glared sullenly.  
  
"I agree." Inuyasha ghad slid up from behind her and warpped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides. After a few moments of struggling from her part, she went limp.  
  
"Good girl." He whispered into her hear. "Miroku! Get that mutt and bring it over to camp." When Miroku gave him and sceptical look and pointed to Aoi with a deadpanned look on his face, he asked Inuyasha dryly.  
  
"And how does thee expect such a person to get that done?"  
  
"Fine! Just get some of the other men to help you!" he snapped. Miroku nodded and hollered over, and within seconds, six or so men were helping his carry the wolf towards the campsite.  
  
All while the other men and Miroku were working, Inuyasha had successfully tied the girl's hands behind her back and removed her sword. She whimpered as he did the latter, for all he did was grin.  
  
A soldier soon came up to offer Inuyasha help with carrying her back. "No way." He said, chuckling. Tossing a look over his shoulder at her, he finished his comment, "This bitch is mine." And he grabbed her roughly, and placed her in front of a tree, as if to prove his point.  
  
When all the others had left the area, Inuyasha turned to talk to his prisonor. Taking a few steps closer to her, he knelt down so he was face to face with her.  
  
"Hey bitch." He called softly.  
  
She turned her head, blatently ignoring him.  
  
"Hey bitch, answer me when I'm addressing you." He snapped.  
  
When she still didn't respond, he grabbed the side of her face roughly and turned it to face him. Tilting her face upwards, he sneered.  
  
"Listen to me when I speak to you bitch." He only smirked in response to her hateful glare.  
  
She gave him an emotionless face. She then went limp, cauing him to fumble forward and catch her as she fell.  
  
His first mistake.  
  
In a flash, she had kicked him in the shin and shoved him hard to the ground. He was up in two second, but those seconds cost him. Kagome had already letp up into the trees, with a dagger clenched tightly in her teeth.  
  
Where the hell had she gotten that dagg – Oh. Inuyasha checked his waist and the holder of the dagger in her very mouth, was empty.  
  
When he looked back up, the girl had already rid herself of the rope bindings. Uttering a curse that would have made a sailor cringe, Inuyasha skepticaly looked around, trying to find a good way to leap up there.  
  
Finding none, he snarled. "Get down here!"  
  
To his surprise, she actually leapt down on all fours in front of him, springin up in a blink and holding his own weapon to his throat.  
  
"Take me to Aoi. NOW." Her eyes were glowing red.  
  
Inuyasha assumed that her demon blood had taken over, as it happened with him, and started leading her to the campsite.  
  
When they reached the campsite, everyone froze when they saw that their lord had been taken captive.  
  
"Release Aoi NOW." Was the order given. Miroku, in a blink, rushed over to the forementioned animal and pulled a knife to its throat.  
  
"Release HIM first." Miroku glowered back. The men at the campsite didn't move an inch, and Inuyasha was annoyed. What was he now? Something like that mangy wolf?  
  
Suddenly, Kagom keeled over, sprawled on the ground.  
  
Turning around, Inuyasha saw that Sango was standing behind her, holding Hiraikotsu in a heroic position. The sun shone behind her, outlining her form.  
  
Wow. She sure knew how to over do it.  
  
"Not bad for the cook huh?"  
  
~*~  
  
AN: I'm going to San Fransisco! We. . . .  
  
But that means no internet for a couple of days. . . (3 to be exact)  
  
I don't think I can live like that. . .  
  
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
  
Well, I was wondering. . . does anyone read my bio page?  
  
::shrugs:: Just curious. . .  
  
ta ta~ bs~ (I wonder if I could get it changed to bullshit. . .) 


	4. Taming Her Part I

AN: Read read...  
  
~*~  
  
Betrayal...  
  
A word not to be taken lightly...  
  
Those who have caused it suffer from their mistakes...  
  
Those who suffer from it are wounded for life...  
  
Not physically, but emotionally...  
  
Why should they put themselves out over and over again to be hurt?  
  
So many close themselves off to the world... in a world that one must be careful of those who they confide in...  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Taming Her [Part I]  
  
By: bs~  
  
As she stirred from her sleep, Kagome snapped open her eyes. To see two golden orbs staring back at her.  
  
"Woah!" he exclaimed as she swung a foot at him. He stepped out of kicking range as he looked down at her, scowling at him on the dirt floor. Chuckling, he explained some concepts to her. "Hello. My name is Inuyasha. You may call me master. "Kagome muttered something that even Inuyasha's ears couldn't hear. "What was that?"  
  
She looked up at him, a scowl evident on her face. "I said, Lord Oh Powerful and Smart One, I know who you are. I know what you want. And I won't give it to you." Inuyasha's face grew red and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, closely resembling a fish, before he once again opened his mouth, this time to speak until Sango came rushing in, and shoved him outside before he could utter a single word. "Hello! I'm Sango. Ignore the bastard I just shoved out of the room!"  
  
Kagome stared. Sango took this opportunity to close the flap to the hut tightly. Turning around, she noticed the shackles chained to Kagome's arms, neck, and legs. "Ouo... You poor thing, let's get those off!"  
  
"SANGO! DON'T YOU DARE!" was heard from outside. Sango paused and turned around, stalking to where the flap was. "AND OPEN THIS FUCKIN' CLOTH DOOR THING!"  
  
Strike one... She took a deep breath...  
  
"... I'LL FIRE YOU! NO MORE TRAMPING AROUND WITH US!"  
  
Strike two... and closed her eyes...  
  
"... KITCHEN DUTY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" and here was where Inuyasha made his last and fatal mistake...  
  
As he took a breath, Sango started with some yelling of her own. She had quite a set of pipes, which alerted the whole campsite, which was swarming with men, into listening what she had to say to their 'king'.  
  
"SHUT UP! FIRST, LEARN THE PROPER TERMS BEFORE YOU GO YELLING YOU HUGE, EGO- INFLATED HEAD OFF! SECOND, I AM AN ASSET TO THIS KINDGOM! AND THIRD, I. AM. THE. COOK. SO WHAT THE HELL DOES IT MATTER FOR FUCKING KITCHEN DUTY!!!" and gasped for a breath. Kagome watched this with great amusement in her eyes. Men could be heard cheering outside and then scattering as Inuyasha began his rant.  
  
"WHAT AM I PAYING YOU FOR???"  
  
"YOU AREN'T!" Sango hollered back.  
  
"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!!!" Sango smirked and listened. She knew she was never going to hear the end of this.  
  
"SANGO! SINCE YOU SO DETEST BEING THE COOK, I'M GIVING YOU THE JOB, AND ONLY JOB OF WATCHING AFTER THE BITCH! OI! MIROKU!" Inuyasha hollered. Miroku walked right up to him, happily, thinking he was going to be given the duty of coaxing Sango out of the tent. He tapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, and gave him a great cheesy grin. Inuyasha grinned right back, making Miroku very nervous.  
  
"OI SANGO! JUST GUESS WHO GETS YOUR OLD JOB! TWO CHANCES!" Turning to give Miroku a vicious smirk, Inuyasa snatched Miroku's staff and whacked him on the head with it. "You guess too!"  
  
Miroku chuckled uneasily. Why was Inuyasha acting so... drunk?  
  
Inside the tent, Sango peeled her ear away from the wall. "I think it's safe to say that – "  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Outside the tent, Miroku had dropped to his knees, with his arms raised towards the sky, and had started wailing.  
  
Staring at each other in an awkward silence, Sango quickly shuffled away from the wall of the tent. After half an hour of tense silence, or in the tent, Sango spoke again. "I guess he was serious then...?"  
  
^.~  
  
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. And then took a deep breath. And then opened his eyes. And then glared at the trembling soldier in front of him. His eyes began to have a faint redish glow to them, and Jaken felt it was time to intervene.  
  
"Milord. I think that we should – "  
  
"Silence Jaken." The frog snapped his beak shut and bowed low.  
  
"I apologize Milord, for – "and was kicked aside. Sesshoumaru turned his attention away from the bowing toad and looked back at the soldier before him. He smirked. That pitiful man was close to wetting himself. His knees were knocking together loud enough for his dear baby brother to hear. The sweat coming off of him was remarkable, but revolting.  
  
"Shut up Jaken."  
  
"Mmph." The toad replied, crawling away on the dirt ground. Sesshoumaru was tempted to roll his eyes, but it would ruin the mood set for the human soldier in front of him.  
  
"You let the prisoner escape."  
  
"B-but Milord – "  
  
"SILENCE!" Sesshoumaru roared. There was nothing he hated more than a cowardly human. This human was brave enough, standing here in front of him.  
  
Had to give him credit for that. "You disobeyed me. I ordered you to stay there, and to NOT LEAVE unless I dismiss you!"  
  
The man was practically crying now. "But sir! I stayed patiently outside for the who – "and with a muffled 'thud', the man's head dropped onto the floor, followed with another muffled 'thud' of the body dropping.  
  
The head rolled aways, out of the tent. Sesshoumaru growled. He hadn't expected THIS much blood.  
  
"Jaken!"  
  
The toad scuffled over to him. "Yes Milord?"  
  
"Clean it up." Sesshoumaru glared pointedly at the mess on the ground before striding away. Jaken sighed.  
  
"Yes Lord Sesshoumaru." All he ever did these days was drag bodies away and clean up the blood...  
  
But it wasn't his lord's fault! The stress of the was was getting to him... but still... all he did nowadays was clean up blood... and drag off bodies...  
  
...drag off bodies...  
  
...clean up blood...  
  
... and that was just Lord Sesshoumaru's part. How much more blood would be shed if the war didn't end soon?  
  
^.~  
  
Miroku sat by the fire, prodding it angrily with a stick every few moments. He glared at Inuyasha, who had a smile so unnaturally wide on his face, that Miroku was half afraid and half hoping that his face would split in two...  
  
"What?" Miroku snapped, after prodding the fire so hard with his stick that the flimsy piece of wood caught fire and Miroku was forced to drop it and jump on it, while cursing.  
  
After catching his breath, Miroku strode over to where Inuyasha was sitting. The hanyou replied by looking up at Miroku in the eye, half smirking and with a casual "Yo."  
  
Miroku opened his mouth, as if to say something, but thought better of it. He settled with glaring very hard at Inuyasha, which in itself was rather hard, since Inuyasha was looking up at him with a glaze over his eyes. Sulking, Miroku scuffled back to the fire, finding another lonesome stick on the ground and started to prod the fire once again.  
  
^.~  
  
"What do you want?" Kagome asked dully, after Sango had started pacing back and forth in front of the tied down girl.  
  
"Well... I... don't really know. All I'm really supposed to do is guard you. Ya know? That's why I, the only girl in this god forsaken campsite, am watching after you. Do you want to take a soak?" Kagome nodded. Sango smiled and knelt beside the girl. As she worked Kagome free, Sango whispered to her. "I don't want to say this too loud because Inuyasha might hear. I won't chain you up while we're in here and no one else is. I know how uncomfortable those are."  
  
Kagome smiled gratefully as she stood up and arched her back, stretching.  
  
"Ready?" Nodding, Kagome stretched about her arms, windmilling them. "Well now, let's be quiet and hope that..." Sango whispered as she opened the flap to the tent. And forgot what she was going to say. Because, standing in front of them, in all his glory... was no other than Inuyasha.  
  
^.~  
  
Kagura sighed. And flapped open her fan, fanning herself furiously. Kouga mumbled something about high mantainence. Kagura scowled. "Like hell."  
  
Kouga looked up at her and growled. "Yeah? Then what's with the fanning?"  
  
"What's with that stupid bandaging?"  
  
Kouga scowled and got up, storming out of the room. Kagura sighed. The heat was getting unbearable. And he was rather sensitive about his lame arm...  
  
It was too hot and humid to do anything. Good thing Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru thought so too, since the clashing of swords and the yelling of men was halted today.  
  
Much to Kagura's surprise, but she didn't show it, Kouga ran back into the room. "What are you doing back? The hea – BWA!" and she was roughly brought to her feet by Kouga's arms. He picked her up bridal style, and glared at her, motioning to the outside.  
  
Kagura tightly sealed her lips, but scowled at the wolf youkai as she set to work on ruining her clothes. It was amazing the change that happened to the two as they stepped out of the room as soon as Kagura nodded.  
  
Kouga's piercing glare was directed at the many men surrounding the building. He looked fiercesome, sweat dripping down his face, and a deep growl emitting from his chest.  
  
Kagura looked utterly pitiful. She had stopped scowling and was wearing a look of utter and complete agony and distress. Her eyes had welled up with tears, though none would spill. Her eye make up was smeared just a bit, but it showed. Her clothes had been hastily untied and ripped in places. And she had a mask of fear on her face.  
  
Kagura secretly grinned as most of the men's faces changed from 'samurai killing mode' to 'knight in shining armor mode' as they saw her, looking so 'damsely in distressy'. Bah, as if she'd ever stoop to a level like this in real life.  
  
One man bravely stepped forward and brandished his sword. "You! Wolf demon! I challenge you to the fair maiden! I win, you release her!"  
  
Kouga just chuckled. He stepped forward, causing the men in front of him to take step back, making them men behind them to step back... until it became like a wave.  
  
Kouga grinned and walked back towards the room, dropping Kagura none too gently right in front of the door. He leaned down, and made as if to whisper sweet nothings, but instead was informing her of the plan. "Okay wench, there's more than I thought."  
  
"Oh really?" Kagura whispered. She didn't want to move her mouth that much, lest one of the soldiers see.  
  
"No time bitch. When I'm done with this little speech of mine, then you do your stuff."  
  
Kagura gave a slight nod. Kouga got up and turned towards the crowd anticipating him. "Well... she is sweet." He chuckled, as if he found that the most amusing thing in the world. Kagura tried hard not to scowl, she really really did.  
  
She'd get back at him for that. "Now ready?"  
  
The man who had previously challenged him nodded. Kouga laughed heartily, much to the dismay of the man. "Well... I would like you all to notice this castle. Nice is it not?"  
  
Most of the crowd nodded in agreement. Kouga mentally scowled. Okay... so she had good taste.  
  
"Well... it's not mine. Not her's either." He motioned to the wind user behind him. Kagura made sure her hair hid her pointy ears. They were a dead giveaway she wasn't human. They couldn't find out now. The only way the plan would work is if they were surprised.  
  
And surprised they would be.  
  
"– I killed those who inhabited this. As they thought I was a weak youkai, I showed them and slaughtered them all!" Kouga laughed, this time with a little menace. The men in the crowds grew rather uneasy. Sure he was outnumbered... but... he HAD slaughtered a whole castle...  
  
The man who had challenged Kouga stood his ground. "I believe you to be telling falsehoods! There be many armies around here! What of you telling such lies!" Kouga grinned, showing the man his fangs.  
  
"Well... I didn't do it by myself, regretfully, now did I... "and Kouga turned around and cocked his head at her. The wind user stood up, and pulled out her fan. "... Kagura?" the woman nodded. "Men, meet Kagura, the wind-user!"  
  
The men in the crowds paled, but drew their swords. Kagura smirked and raised one hand to tuck her hair neatly into place. Some gasped. She mentally rolled her eyes, knowing her ears were just so FASCINATING to people... what with their pointy little ends and all...  
  
"Well... those weapons are of no use now are they? The winds will show you that!" She flung open her fan skillfully and threw her wind blades. "FUUJIN NO MAI!"  
  
As the men all groaned and cried out in pain, Kagura couldn't help but wince. Kouga smirked. "Need help wench?"  
  
Kagura snapped her blood red eyes open and glared at the wolf. "No. My dance of the wind blades will do it just FINE."  
  
After a couple more attacks, no human soldier was left standing. Kouga and Kagura quickly departed the scene, lest Inuyasha find them.  
  
But before they left, Kagura was sure to wipe the area of their scents and replace it with a more familiar one...  
  
... one that Inuyasha would recognize easily...  
  
...more specifically...  
  
...Sesshoumaru's...  
  
^.~  
  
"And just where do you two think you're going?" Inuyasha said, his smirk evident in his voice.  
  
Sango fumed. However, Kagome put a hand firmly on Sango's shoulder and looked at Inuyasha straight in the eye. "If you want my help, I want to bathe. There's no real need for use two women to smell like you men, even if we ARE surrounded by you mongrels."  
  
Kagome grinned and pulled Sango away, quickly walking away from the stunned hanyou lord.  
  
"Hey! Wait! Wait!" Inuyasha yelled as he chased after them. The flap of the tent on the farthest right, the farest of the four from Sango and Kagome's tent opened up. A man's head popped out, looking around while blinking wearily and popping back inside. When asked what had happened drowsily by the other men, he replied that a white and red bear had come and gone. (note: the men HAVE to sleep early when they get the chance, since Inuyasha drives them to cover a lot of land in such a little amount of time)  
  
^.~  
  
"Hey! I said WAIT!" Inuyasha yelled as he burst through the bushes... only to find himself face to face with Sango and Kagome.  
  
Buck naked.  
  
"HENTAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Sango screeched while punching him a good few ones in the face. Kagome had taken to fleeing into the waters.  
  
Sango jumped in there after a few more good punches. "And stay AWAY!" Sango screamed before resoluted lowering herself into a more comfortable position.  
  
Inuyasha snarled loudly and ran off, making a racket as he desecrated trees in his way.  
  
Smiling, Sango turned her attention back to Kagome, who simply stared at her. Okay... "Ahem... Kagome?" the girl cocked her head to show that she was listening. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Someone's watching us." Kagome spoke slowly and quietly. Sango immediately tensed her shoulders as she heard the footsteps that were quickly approaching them. Why hadn't she noticed before?  
  
Sango nodded to Kagome. "Sh... continue as we were. Pretend it's all good." Kagome quirked an eyebrow, as if she wanted to say something, but shrugged it off and went back into a relaxed position. Sango noticed that her eyes weren't really closed, only halfway shut.  
  
Good. She might need reinforcements if the person that was watching them was who she thought it was...  
  
Maybe there should be a little fun involved in this? Sango brought both arms over her head, as if to stretch them and placed them onto the dirt ground on which she was leaning. Her hand felt along the ground and found two rather large rocks, just a little smaller than her own hand.  
  
"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sango screeched as she grabbed those rocks, turned around and pelted them at the person in the tree. There was a dull thud as someone or someTHING fell out of it.  
  
"Damn Sango... It's just me..." Sango gaped as someone stumbled through the clearing, rubbing his head.  
  
"MIROKU!" Sango screeched as she got more rocks and started pelting him, aiming with deadly accuracy.  
  
Soon enough, after a few more rocks, Miroku was successfully knocked out.  
  
After making sure he was out cold by tossing a few more rocks in his direction, Sango carefully got out and dragged him behind a rock, and tossed a bunch of rocks on him.  
  
"That way," Sango smirked as she explained to Kagome, "we can tell when he wakes up and pelt him again."  
  
Kagome quirked an eyebrow. "I knew it was him."  
  
Sango gaped. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Kagome shrugged. "One, you told me to be quiet. Two, what would you have done differently than what you just did?"  
  
Sango tapped her chin, deep in thought. After a few minutes, Sango answered. "Well... I would have hit him harder. And placed his body in a funny position as he layed there so when he woke up it would feel sore.... Oh damn! I should have done that!" Sango snapped her fingers and grinned. Kagome laughed.  
  
Sango smiled. "So feeling a bit better?"  
  
"I wasn't saying anything with HIM around." Kagome told her, while wetting her hair.  
  
Sango nodded. "I get it. You don't like Miroku."  
  
"Or that white haired man." Kagome added as she began to lather soaps into her hair.  
  
"Ah... that's okay. I'm not really all that happy about them right now either..." Sango smiled.  
  
Kagome looked up at her suddenly, abandoning her hair. She wadded forward, until she was almost nose to nose with Sango. The ex-cook, startled by the suddenness of it all, widened her eyes and tried to scoot back until she realized that she was leaning against the dirt bank.  
  
"W-what are you doing?" Sango squeaked. Kagome only looked sadly at the startled girl in front of her and reached a hand out. Her eyes were glowing red...  
  
And just as suddenly as she had done this, Kagome collapsed, sinking into the water.  
  
~*~  
  
AN: I'm so evil... ^^'  
  
I'll try to update by next week... hm... yeah... next week... I promise!  
  
Life has really been hell though...  
  
Sorry for all that troublesome wait! Really feel bad about that... eheh....  
  
I am currently working on another Inuyasha fanfic, but the thing is... I need a couple of beta readers.  
  
Not for spelling or grammar. I pretty much got those two down.  
  
To make sure the story flows logically...  
  
For more information, look at my bio~  
  
Ta ta~ bs~ (thy name is bullshit) 


	5. Taming Her Part 2

AN: Okay... I officially hate my father. He fuckin' cut off my internet line! Literally! With scissors!  
  
But I'm better than him and took my own phone line to give y'all this chapter... I only hope he doesn't find out... eheh...  
  
~*~  
  
Don't you ever feel like you are lost?  
  
You don't know what to do... what to say... what to think...  
  
But some people are more fortune than others are... since they believe... in themselves...  
  
For others... loving themselves is not as easy...  
  
... for why do you think so many take their own lives?  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Taming Her [Part 2]  
  
By: bs~  
  
"Inuyasha!" The scream pierced the thickness of the dark at night and the hanyou turned his head in a snap and narrowed his eyes.  
  
What was the matter? As another scream echoed, Inuyasha stopped thinking and ran forward, hoping he wasn't going to be too late to help Sango.  
  
As he darted forward, dodging trees and low branches, Inuyasha ran through the possibilites that could possibly harm Sango in an area like this. There were some human bandits, but there were fleas compared to what Sango could do.  
  
The flaming birds here weren't very big either, and Sango was in water...  
  
...the worst that he could detect a scent of was a water imp, and although they were tricky, they weren't that hard to take care of.  
  
Sango should be able to take care of it herself, but why...?  
  
Could it have been a wild animal? A bear perhaps? ... no... Sango was too good of a fighter to be frightened like that of such a stupid thing... had that bitch gone and... no. Couldn't be.  
  
Then a thought entered Inuyasha that amused him greatly. Maybe it wasn't Sango shrieking... but Miroku?  
  
Gods knew he had many tendacies of a woman... like crying...  
  
The screams continued and grew louder as Inuyasha, who ran faster upon hearing every fear-filled wail.  
  
As he leapt over a tree and landed in front of Sango, Tetsusaiga brandished, he couldn't help but pause and lose his confidence and composure, completely ignorant of the fact that Sango was close to bare naked, with her clothes clutched in front of her to conceal some of her dignigty... that Miroku was lying close to them, various rocks piled on him...and Inuyasha took no notice of these trivial things... because... in front of him stood a full-grown water dragon, rearing its head at the trembling girl in front of it... waiting for an opportune moment to strike...  
  
^.~  
  
"But sire..." the general began, slightly shaking. Nobody but Sesshoumaru had noticed the man's loss of his confidence, his proud swagger as he paced. He was truly having a nerve-wracking effect on this human. How amusing... but he musn't do it too long, since this general was actually well trained in such things.  
  
"I told you. I want a battalion of soldiers, demons, and spirits to attack this," and pointed to the specified area on the map, "area and I want you to leave tonight." Sesshoumaru's tone of voice left no room for agrument.  
  
The general nodded, but frowned. Sesshoumaru made a smirk and quickly left the room. He gracefully walked into his own room, and told the servant girl to summon Jaken.  
  
A few minutes later, the bumbling toad youkai was standing before him. "Jaken. I want you to get twenty of our best men and have them go undercover."  
  
Jaken nodded, scribbling down ferociously onto a piece of paper. "For what may I ask sire?"  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered down at Jaken, and then back up to the window he was looking through. "For the girl. And I never did learn her name... keep note of that Jaken."  
  
The toad nodded, and scribbled away, as Sesshoumaru went on about what each man needed and how he was to be placed...  
  
^.~  
  
"Where to?" Kouga asked, watching the woman warily. She sniffed in contempt at him, more out of boredom than anything else.  
  
"Don't ask me. I thought Naraku gave YOU the orders."  
  
"ME?" Kouga scoffed. "Get it through your head. ME?"  
  
Kagura looked him up from head to toe, and smirked. Fanning out her fan and placing it to hide half of her face in a mysterious manner, she smirked. "You're right. Much too stupid to remember."  
  
Kouga snarled. "Well..." he started after silence overtook their 'converation', "what the HELL are we doing? Wander until he calls for us?"  
  
Kagura smirked.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
^.~  
  
Kagome sighed and glanced back, noting that Sango was still panicking over her 'body'. Of course, humans couldn't tell astral projections from the real thing when they saw one.  
  
Then again... her's were rather convincing... with them being solid and all... Snapping her train of thought towards the campsite, Kagome's lips twitched a bit when she saw the first tent that signalled she had arrived at the campsite.  
  
Snapping her head towards the farest of the tents, Kagome's body tensed up. What was that noise?  
  
"NNNNNNN..." a loud snore came from it. Kagome almost laughed and she relaxed almost instantaneously. Tiptoeing towards her tent, she snapped her head around, to come face to face with the person she greatly despised... the last person she thought she would ever see again...  
  
She grimaced before speaking.  
  
"Why, hello Shippou."  
  
^.~  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and leapt away. He was really close in timing and he could hear Sango's heart pounding.  
  
Looking at where he stood a split second ago, the dragon raised its head in a dazed manner and its eyes focused on Inuyasha.  
  
"Hanyou..." it hissed. "I want your power...."  
  
This made Inuyasha pause in midswing. Was he really that powerful?  
  
"Well, you ain't getting a piece of this hot ass!" Inuyasha retorted, causing Sango to momentarily lose her close to hysterics face.  
  
"Men and your egos! The only thing bigger than your ego is the size of your bloated head!" Sango screeched, unknowling attracting the dragon's attention.  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Sure, that's what you say EVERY time I say something like that. Have some creativity girl!"  
  
"Well, AT LEAST I KNOW WHEN THERE'S DANGER!"  
  
Inuyasha smirked, and pointed behind her. Sango's back immediately stiffened and she turned her head around slowly, to meet with the dragon's right eye.  
  
Uttering a scream that was practically inhumane, Sango squated down and covered her head with her arms, which were hanging in awkward angles over her head.  
  
Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga once again. "KAZE NO KIZUUUUUU!"  
  
As the water dragon's body parts, blood, and gore flew all around, Inuyasha lept off the rock he was on, hastily took off his outer layer of fire rat, and tossed it at Sango.  
  
He muttered something about her and her loss of modesty as soon as any big bug or lizard came along...  
  
Or he could have been muttering something about a recipe for chili... Sango's hearing wasn't that keen.  
  
While she quickly turned his 'jacket' of sorts into a rather crude robe, Inuyasha stalked over to the other naked maiden.  
  
So she was out cold huh? Inuyasha decided to poke her a bit. Well, he would have to hurry, if he didn't want Miroku to wake up to the bitch in an undressed state like this...  
  
And so he grabbed Tetsusaiga's sheath from his belt and poked her once in the shoulder, nice and hard.  
  
What shocked him wasn't the fact that she didn't wake up.  
  
What shocked him was the fact that her body faded away as soon as the sheath had come into contact with her... skin... and the sheath had instead of meeting warm flesh, hit the cold damp dirt.  
  
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Sango asked as she made her way over to where he stood, unmoving. She was careful to not touch any of what had been part of the dragon's and finally stood next to the shocked hanyou.  
  
She tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
No response. "Inuyasha?" she asked again, this time more carefully.  
  
What was the – and Sango was suddenly knocked back.  
  
Inuyasha suddenly jerked away and began running for the campsite. A few seconds later, and Sango's mouth was gaping open.  
  
Then she realized that Inuyasha had shouted somethings to her before comepletely going out of hearing range. Wasn't it something about astral projections and dragging the monk back to the campsite?  
  
Shaking her head, Sango made her way around the enormous puddle of blood and knelt right next to Miroku's face.  
  
She didn't comepletely understand that part of astral projections he had yelled, but dragging the monk she did.  
  
Grinning, she grabbed the little ponytail and started dragging, making sure she didn't touch any of the blood, but Miroku was going to have laundry day as soon as he woke and smelt the roses.  
  
Or in this case, his robes.  
  
^.~  
  
Inuyasha darted to his right and left, dodging trees as fast as he could while running towards his destination. The campsite.  
  
It was so simple, how the HELL did he miss it? The girl should have powers right? Or skills even! Why shouldn't astral projection be one?  
  
She was going to tell them JUST exactly what she could do as soon as he tied her up again. And this time Sango wouldn't get the extra set of keys.  
  
Miroku would. He had a habit of collecting shiny objects... or maybe that was just his excuse when Inuyasha had seen him walk out of the his private vault so many times?  
  
He'd have to get a count on his valuables in there as soon as he got back home...  
  
But for the time being, he should just watch out for the bitch...  
  
And speaking of the devil whore... lo and behold who stood before him atop a white wolf?  
  
^.~  
  
Kikyou poked her head through the doorway and glanced down the corrider. Seeing no one, she stuck her head back in  
  
Quietly, she stuck her head back into her private chambers and bolted the door. She then strode over to the window and stepped out into the balcony. Looking down, she turned her head away and hoped that she didn't get too dizzy.  
  
Last time she had actually fallen off of the railing and Inuyasha was so worried. It hurt her to see him like that.  
  
But it felt kind of nice. Him fussing over her... he always did... but that time... it was just different.  
  
Kikyou smiled and slowly reached out for the walls and the fencing that was leaned against the wall.  
  
She slowly climbed downwards and when she touched the grounds, she made sure no one was sight before sneaking over to the stables to retrieve a horse. As she rode out of the palace, the only thought racing through her head was...  
  
'It's all for Inuyasha... it's all for him...'  
  
^.~  
  
Inuyasha paced.  
  
Miroku sat there in a kimono.  
  
Kagome sat there glaring at the pacing hanyou.  
  
Sango sighed.  
  
The men snored.  
  
Inuyasha paced.  
  
Miroku stood up and went to the small stream that was near, getting tired of watching the 'ever so interesting' Inuyasha pacing. He made a little twirl and looked back into the water at his reflection, frowning. Sango noticed this and walked over. Part of her was glad to have something else to do besides watch Inuyasha pace and part of her was rather curious at what Miroku was doing.  
  
Inuyasha stopped in his pacing for a moment as Sango approached Miroku. "Miroku?" she asked hesitantly. The monk/cook looked up from his reflection and instantly lost his frown.  
  
"Yes my pet?"  
  
Sango frowned. "Don't call me that. And why in the world are you standing here staring at your reflection?"  
  
Miroku lost his happy smile and the frown once again replaced it. "Because... because..." he started. "Oh, it's too horrible! I dare not say it!"  
  
He had now captured the attention of Kagome as well. Sango scuffled closer, but not too close. He could still use his hands after all. "What is?"  
  
"Oh... it's horrible Sango!" Miroku wailed. "My... my butt looks HUGE in this kimono! AND it does NOTHING for my figure!"  
  
Sango twitched.  
  
Inuyasha roared with laughter.  
  
Kagome arched an eyebrow and would have said something were for it not the fact that she was gagged.  
  
Miroku sighed. "See... it's so horrible you can not bear to hear anymore!"  
  
Sango twitched more and collapsed to the ground. Miroku ran to her and pulled her up gently. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently, forgetting about his problem instantly.  
  
Sango was shaking literally. And it looked like she was having a hard time breathing. Inuyasha slowly scuffled up to them, still laughing loudly. "She's – she's laughing too hard man!" and burst out into more laughter.  
  
Miroku scowled. What was so funny about that comment anyway? It DID make his ass look less hot than usual! And his figure was rather... feminine in this kimono... no wonder women took such care in selecting clothes...  
  
"Miroku..." Sango said sympathically, lowering her head while she was shaking it so that the vain monk couldn't see her smirk. "I think it does WONDERS for your figure... but for you tight little ass... it's another story."  
  
And she walked back to sit next to Kagome, laughing her head off.  
  
Kagome was just staring straight ahead, glaring from time to time at Inuyasha, who was now rolling on the floor laughing, pounding his fists against the ground.  
  
Unfortunately... this woke the men in the far-left tent. This wasn't good for Inuyasha.  
  
Not so good for Miroku either.  
  
As the flap of the tent raised and a head poked out, eyes blinking rapidly with an overall look of weariness on it, Miroku shrieked and ran for the hills.  
  
Literally.  
  
Inuyasha was torn between staying with the prisoner [Kagome] or go chase and tease Miroku somemore.  
  
Hopefully the monk hadn't run too far off, because Inuyasha could do both then!  
  
It was good to be king.  
  
Or something close to it anyway.  
  
^.~  
  
As Jakotsu clambered up slowly on the rocky hill, he whined to his traveling companions. "Why did he have to send us? I don't see the use of sending moi on an undercover business."  
  
"It is our duty." A solemn man answered. He was dressed to fit the occupation of a monk, which he was, in a way.  
  
"Duty smuty!" Jakotsu grumbled, waving his hand as an extra gesture. "I swear Renkotsu, you should really lighten up about this!"  
  
A rather deformed man muttered something. Rolling his eyes, Jakotsu scowled. "Not you too Ginkotsu! Is NO ONE on my side on this?"  
  
"No." was the flat reply Renkotsu gave.  
  
Jakotsu pouted and stopped walking. Realizing his little protest wasn't working, as Renkotsu continued walking, much to Jakotsu's dislike.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I wanna rest!"  
  
"I'm tired!"  
  
Jakotsu stamped his foot down for emphasis as Renkotsu gave a bored look back at him.  
  
"And... why should I give a shit what happens to you? All I have to do is tell Lord Sesshoumaru that you have died under completing your mission. Which you have."  
  
Jakotsu, upon hearing the word 'Sesshoumaru', immediately had an shojo- anime background, complete with sparkles and flowers.  
  
"Someday..." he said dreamily, looking up, "Lord Sesshy will see me for the beauty I am and whisk me away in his arms!"  
  
Renkotsu responded by tossing a pebbly carefully aimed at the dreaming man's head  
  
"Ow! That hurt!"  
  
"It was the point."  
  
Renkotsu turned and began walking again. The rest of the men followed him uneasily. Sure Jakotsu was a bit spoiled in this sense... but he was better to be around than Renkotsu...  
  
Then again... if they didn't follow Renkotsu's orders... there would be lives to pay...  
  
Jakotsu frowned and started walking at a fast pace. He soon caught up with the other men. And walked along side Renkotsu, giving him a flirty look, batting his eyelashes.  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
"I wanna eat."  
  
"Can we stop?"  
  
"I think I see a river up ahead!"  
  
And as the men traveled on past the hill and onto a barren plain, Jakotsu's squablings continued to ring in the men's ears...  
  
~*~  
  
AN: Um... sorry it took so long?  
  
Anyway, I'm sorry if I got it wrong with the Seven-Man Squad.  
  
Cartoon Network hasn't aired those episodes yet...  
  
...but I'm pretty sure y'all know who they ARE right...?  
  
::crickets chirp::  
  
Aw... damn it!  
  
Well... if you don't, then they will be explained in the later chapters. I want to post this NOW... since it's been too long.  
  
Y'all can always go to http(:) //(web).(utk).(edu)/(~bborchar)  
  
Just delete all the parathesises.  
  
Ta ta~ bs~ (thy name is bullshit) 


	6. Taming Her Part 3

AN: hey...  
  
::sigh::  
  
My creative:: scoffs:: head isn't working properly at the moment so there will be nothing before this chapter begins.  
  
Oh well.  
  
And the remember that this story IS Sesshoumaru/Kagura!  
  
~*~  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Taming Her [Part 3]  
(last one! I promise!)  
  
By: bs~  
  
Inuyasha, trying to stifle his laughs, snatched Miroku's almost dry and clean robes from the overhanging tree branch as Sango shooed the men back into their tents.  
  
"You know that it's not really nice to cramp them up like that." Sango scolded as she walked over to where Inuyasha stood. The hanyou just shrugged.  
  
"Don't complain. You practically get your own tent."  
  
Scowling, Sango gave him a 'tsk'. Inuyasha only replied by handing the clothes to her. Rolling her eyes, Sango grabbed the purple and black clothes and folded them up. Handing them back to Inuyasha she whacked him on the head.  
  
"Hey!" he protested as he began heading for the direction that the monk had fled in. "Sango, watch that bitch!"  
  
"I will master!" Sango replied cheerily without turning around. She took a quick glance at Kagome, who had apparently dozed off in all the commotion, and appeared to be peacefully sleeping.  
  
'Should she be moved into one of the tents?  
  
Would Inuyasha disapprove of it?  
  
Or the more important question was...  
  
Can I get her in there?'  
  
While she was pondering about her dilemma, Sango decided to sit by the sleeping girl and enjoy the scenery. She gazed at the Sakura [cherry blossom] tree and noticed a patch of bright orange.  
  
'Hm... that was odd. Cherry blossoms were PINK... was this a new type?'  
  
Getting up, Sango walked to the Sakura tree and gazed into the flowers. There it was! The patch of orange! Only now that Sango was closer... she could see it was a child!  
  
"Hey!" Sango whispered up there. "Are you stuck?"  
  
There was no reply. Sango sighed and presumed that some sort of flying demon kidnapped the child and accidentally dropped him or her, knocking them unconscious.  
  
Sango reached up to grab one of the sturdier looking branches and lifted herself up with a grunt. Peering up through the many flowers, Sango saw that the little bundle of orange was stirring slightly. "Don't move kid!" Sango called up to the child, but it didn't respond.  
  
She climbed up to the next branch and this time she could see the child more clearly.  
  
And what she saw almost made her fall out of the tree.  
  
It wasn't that something had scared her... or frightened her... but more disturbing was the fact that what she had thought was a small child was actually a kitsune... a kitsune... with her tail swishing lazily in the breeze.  
  
At least Sango thought it was a she. As she lumbered up another branch, the child stirred a little in its sleep. "Hold on!" Sango whispered, not really wanting to wake her, since it would make it more difficult to help the child and not wanting the girl she was supposed to be watching wake up, since Sango was pretty sure that the girl could easily get out of the chains that bound her.  
  
She finally reached the child and cooed. She was so cute! Her ears were normal, except for the fact that they ended in sharp, cute points!  
  
And her feet... they weren't feet! They were more animalistic... like foxes were... "So you are a kitsune aren't you?" Sango breathed.  
  
She then reached out and cradled the kitsune in her arms like she would a baby. Then she realized something.  
  
How was she to get down?  
  
^.~  
  
Kouga and Kagura had not traveled half a mile from their resting area before a swarm of bees appeared and blocked their paths. Kagura had tried to fan them away with her winds, but it was a failing attempt. Kouga had tried to leap through them, but it was useless.  
  
Kouga and Kagura tried to fight it, but they both knew deep down that the bees were there for a reason.... Naraku wanted them back...  
  
...Now.  
  
^.~  
  
"Oi! Sango! Where the hell did you go?" Inuyasha called out as he neared the campsite. The moment he noticed that the former cook was no longer in sight of him, a little pang of worry went off in his head. It wasn't until he reached the campsite and leaned against the cherry tree to survey the place that he found Kagome glaring at him.  
  
"Oi bitch. What is your problem?" he growled, not in the best of moods. Little Sakura's blossoms were falling on his head... a lot. 'Stupid tree.'  
  
Where the HELL had Sango gone? More and more blossoms were falling onto his head, and although After a few more minutes, Miroku came into view from the hills. "Done houshi?" Inuyasha called out.  
  
There was a muffled response from the monk/cook. Smirking Inuyasha turned back to his little prisoner and started his glaring match. But it wasn't really a glaring match... because she wasn't glaring at HIM... she was glaring above his head.  
  
Curious to know what she was glaring at, he looked up at the tree that was the object of Kagome's attentions. And there he saw Sango glaring at him.  
  
^.~  
  
"I refuse!"  
  
"You don't have a choice."  
  
"To hell with that!"  
  
"You HAVE to!" Kouga growled. Kagura scowled and used her fan to whap him lightly on the nose.  
  
"No. I DON'T."  
  
"Stop being so difficult. You have to do this and you know it." Kouga snarled. Kagura sniffed in contempt.  
  
"I'll do whatever the bloody hell I want to."  
  
"Yeah, you can. And Naraku will kill you."  
  
"Shut up!" Kagura snapped. He didn't have to remind her of the chains that bound her to that son of a bitch. She thought about it every free second she had.  
  
And she had lots of time.  
  
"HE said YOU had to go to that damned stuck-up inu-youkai lord and KILL HIM! GOT THAT?" Kouga raved at her, more from being frustrated at what Naraku had instructed him to do than angry at Kagura.  
  
They both had their missions.  
  
Neither one was going to be easy.  
  
^.~  
  
"Now tell me again just WHAT the hell you were thinking when you went up that tree." Inuyasha gritted out, glaring evilly at the little ball of fluff that was curled up in Sango's arms.  
  
"I saw her and I was worried. So I went up there to get her down. But... I got stuck."  
  
"We noticed." Miroku replied dryly, still a bit sensitive about the kimono incident.  
  
"And," Inuyasha snorted and tried to stifle his laugh as he said this, his anger momentarily forgotten, "that kitsune isn't a girl. It's a boy! Congratulations!"  
  
Sango scowled. "Oh shut up and stop making fun of her!"  
  
Kagome watched this quietly, taking this all in. What was wrong with these people?  
  
Weren't they going to do anything to her?  
  
Put her to use?  
  
"– hey don't you take me seriously?"  
  
"BECAUSE YOU SEEM LIKE YOU'RE HAVING FUN! AND AT THIS LITTLE CHILD'S EXPENSE! SHE'S PROBABLY BEEN ABUSED OR SOMETHING!"  
  
"...feh."  
  
"It's a boy. That idiot's right." Kagome spoke quietly. She wasn't sure if they heard her, but by the way they all froze and stared at her as if they had forgotten she was there, they heard her.  
  
They had also forgotten she was there. "So bitch," Inuyasha sneered and straightened himself while picking off some imaginary lint and putting this glint in his eyes that Kagome didn't like in the slightest, "ready to show me what you can do?"  
  
Kagome stared back at him, unsure of what to say. Was there some hidden sexual innuendo?  
  
"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha snapped. He turned to Sango and Miroku. "I want those men ready to go back. We need to be there. In one day."  
  
Miroku's eyes widened. "But that's practically impossible!"  
  
Inuyasha grinned. "Practically. But it isn't now is it?"  
  
Sango sighed. "Am I the cook again?"  
  
"No." both men said at the same time. Inuyasha gave Miroku a strange look, but Miroku was far too busy staring up at the sky while scratching his head, whistling and walking away to pay any attention to the hanyou lord.  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"I'll get the men up."  
  
"I'll...just sit here."  
  
^.~  
  
Kagura sighed. The sun was getting to be unbearable. Loosening the collar of her kimono, Kagura fanned herself.  
  
Damn that mangy wolf! Why was he taking so long?  
  
It's not like that Lord Sesshoumaru was in hiding! He couldn't be that hard to find!  
  
...then again... it WAS Kouga...  
  
"What are you waiting for?" the suddenness of Kouga's voice startled Kagura and she turned and pressed herself unintentionally smack dab into Kouga.  
  
Kouga, not expecting this impact, put his arms around her on instinct and stumbled back and stepped on a rock.  
  
He howled and lifted up his foot, immediately forgetting that Kagura was still squished against him, but now she had realized the position she was in and was struggling out of his hold.  
  
Kouga was having none of that. He was about to release Kagura when she gave him an extra hard shove while he was hopping on one foot and caused him to crash onto the ground.  
  
In his panic, he dragged Kagura down with him.  
  
The result...  
  
"YOU STUPID MANGY WOLF! GET YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF OF ME!"  
  
"YOU WERE THE ONE DAYDREAMIMG BITCH! I CALLED YOU SO MANY TIMES I WENT HOARSE!"  
  
"THEN WHY ARE YOU YELLING NOW?"  
  
"..." Kouga paused and panted, out of breath from yelling at her and partly because he just realized what he had said.  
  
"...idiot." Kagura grumbled as she put her hands onto his chest to push herself up.  
  
Kouga grinned.  
  
Payback time.  
  
As Kagura helped herself up, applying more pressure to Kouga's chest, Kouga rolled over, as he swept one of his legs over Kagura's, tangling them.  
  
Kagura screeched and started to beat Kouga's chest, but all he did to stop her was lean closer to her, until her hands were stuck between their chests.  
  
Then he leaned in and put his mouth right next to Kagura's ear. He whispered into it.  
  
"Enjoying this bitch?"  
  
Kagura growled. Kouga grinned. "Naughty naughty..." he whispered huskily into her ears before lifting his head back up to see her face.  
  
It was contorted into such an expression that Kouga was rather shocked. But he kept his face free of it and grinned. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Kagura's.  
  
By the way she stiffened as Kouga kissed her passionately, Kouga could tell she was really shocked. She tried to struggle, but he trapped her legs, arms, and body with his.  
  
She slackened as she realized she wasn't going to win. Kouga grinned against her mouth and prodded her sealed lips with his tongue.  
  
Kagura, however, kept her lips tightly closed. Kouga tried again, but failed. He then brought one hand up to Kagura's face. Kagura saw this moment and closed her eyes as she waited for the slap to come.  
  
But instead of the sharp, stinging sensation she was accustomed to, fingertips rubbed the back of her right ear. The unexpected sensation that such a simple movement made her moan.  
  
Kouga, who had hoped she would do that, delved his tongue into her mouth.  
  
Kagura gasped at the suddenness of this, but began to moan again.  
  
Kouga reached down and pulled at her kimono, revealing more and more skin.  
  
^.~  
  
Inuyasha scowled as he turned around and started walking backwards. "STOP SLACKING! QUICKEN YOUR PACE!" he snapped.  
  
Miroku sighed and gave Sango a knowing glance. They knew why Inuyasha was in a such a foul temper.  
  
Kagome watched the exchange between Sango and Miroku and continued walking, but eyed the little orange bundle in Sango's arms every now and then, glaring.  
  
She was just waiting for the opportune moment. When that kitsune awoke...it would die.  
  
Inuyasha suddenly stopped in his tracks. The men following him closely had to stumble back to avoid crashing into their lord. "What is it?" Miroku asked, walking up next to him.  
  
"Demons. Lots of them. We better hurry." Inuyasha stated, sniffing the air.  
  
"We are." Sango scoffed. What Inuyasha said next caused her to pale.  
  
"They're headed for the fort."  
  
At the sound of this, all the men began to walk at a faster pace. Miroku sighed and gave Inuyasha a clap on the back before taking his spot in the back.  
  
Sango gave Miroku a dirty look. Miroku looked apologetic and shrugged.  
  
"He's lying." Kagome stated. "There are no demons headed for your fort."  
  
Everyone stopped. They turned to stare at her, but quickly turned their heads to see the reaction of their lord. "Don't. Question. Me." he gritted.  
  
"You just want to them to get home faster." Kagome kept a blank face and her tone even. There was no emotion. Aoi, who was being pulled along in a cage on a wagon by five men, looked at Kagome with shining eyes.  
  
"Take a break men." The men sighed with relief and walked off hurriedly. She had angered their lord.  
  
Their lord did not have a good temper.  
  
^.~  
  
"I ::thud:: don't ::smack:: want ::crash:: to ::whap:: hear another word out of you!" he roared, kicking the woman laid out on the floor in front of him. Surrounding him were broken objects, mainly vases.  
  
More sounds of crashes and skin meeting skin filled the room. The man continued to rage at the woman until there he was panting hard.  
  
Then he stopped, sat down and poured himself some tea. After an hour had passed, the woman got up and slowly sat down beside the man at the table.  
  
She looked up at him, a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Milord."  
  
He looked at her and slowly smirked. "That's a good girl now. Drink some tea."  
  
She nodded and poured herself a little, sipping delicately as a lady should. The man grinned and motioned for her to sit next to him.  
  
"Let's continue where we were Kikyou." he murmured, kissing her temple. Kikyou sighed and nodded.  
  
"Alright, but if you get made this time, remember to avoid my face or hands."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
"Mmph." Kikyou replied as he muffled her reply with his lips.  
  
^.~  
  
"Don't tempt me again, BITCH." Inuyasha put extra emphasis on the last word, to remind her that he was in charge.  
  
"I'll be sure to put that down into my notes, along with remember to watch out to see if you are around when I bathe." Kagome replied in her even, calm tone.  
  
"WHY YOU - ::TWOCK:: OW!" Inuyasha yelped as Miroku gave him a cuff on the head with his staff.  
  
"Don't talk to a lady that way." he admonished. Sango rolled her eyes.  
  
"I, for one, would rather be talked to the way Inuyasha talks to me than to talk to YOU." Sango said, enjoying the confusion being played on both men's faces.  
  
"Sexist sadists." Kagome added.  
  
"Yes they are!" Sango smiled warmly at Kagome. Kagome didn't smile back. The smile drooped a little on Sango's face, but she wouldn't give up!  
  
After all, that poor girl was tied up on the ground and dragged around like a piece of meat for crying out loud!  
  
"Inuyasha, I think we best be getting on our way. And NO more lies."  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm the boss."  
  
"I'm the cook."  
  
"No. I am!" Miroku butted in cheerfully.  
  
"I think you're enjoying being cook more than you let on..." Sango said as she walked over to help Kagome get up.  
  
"MEN! LET'S GO HOME!" Inuyasha roared as the soldiers scattered back from behind trees and bushes.  
  
Miroku grinned.  
  
Later on in the day, when they moved closer to the fort, Inuyasha stopped again.  
  
"No more lies Inuyasha!" Sango said sharply.  
  
"Sango, stay here with the prisoner. I want four men with me. Including Miroku. The rest stay and guard." Inuyasha stated in a cool tone. Miroku looked worriedly at Sango and gave her a nod before following Inuyasha.  
  
As they walked past the bunch of trees and around the bushes, they noted trampled land.  
  
Someone... was here. They snuck quietly towards what appeared to be a village.  
  
Suddenly, a soldier cried out. "What are you doing you fool?" Inuyasha hissed, ready to grab and silence the man.  
  
"IT'S FORT SHIKON!" Inuyasha stiffened. And started to search his pockets, looking for the map that Bankotsu had given him.  
  
And smack dab on there, in the spot they were standing, was Fort Shikon. Inuyasha paled and gave out orders. "I want you all the sit here and guard. Anybody comes, call for me."  
  
"But – "  
  
"No questions." Inuyasha snapped.  
  
He stepped through the bushes and what he saw before him just about drove his youkai blood crazy.  
  
There, in front of him, was a battlefield. No – it WAS a battlefield.  
  
Bodies littered the land and the fort was burned down and desecrated. Inuyasha slitted his eyes as he sniffed the air, searching for the scoundrel who did this.  
  
The scent. It was so familiar... he had caught the scent many times before... but this one was different...  
  
... it smelled like him...  
  
...but it was different...  
  
...it had the distinct youkai blood. Inuyasha frowned. Surely he had not lost control again? Tetsusaiga had not be away from him since two years ago.  
  
Inuyasha gritted his teeth and stiffened as he realized who it was.  
  
The person who's bloodline was similar to his.  
  
The one person who had the same father...  
  
The one who was a pureblooded youkai...  
  
Sesshoumaru.  
  
^.~  
  
Sango sat herself down next to Kagome and smiled. "So, how are you holding up?"  
  
"Surprisingly well. I'm shocked that that impudent and sorry excuse of a hanyou is such an efficient leader."  
  
"...nice." Sango grinned. "What's your name?"  
  
Kagome looked at Sango and furrowed her eyebrows. "My...name...?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean your name isn't really bitch is it?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "It's Kagome." [this seems redundant I know... but they haven't learned her name yet! more confusion about names is to come as Miroku and Inuyasha learn her name. How fun.]  
  
Sango smiled. "That's a pretty name. I suppose your name is from the old children's game?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "I don't know why though."  
  
Sango nodded. "Who named you?"  
  
"Aoi."  
  
Sango gestured with her hands. "And that is...?"  
  
"He's right there." And she pointed to the wolf who was glaring furiously at Sango, with his silver eyes narrowed and his tail still. The silvery- white fur looked so soft and feathery. Sango's eyes glazed over.  
  
"Can I touch him?"  
  
This question seemed to amuse Kagome. She even smiled a little. "No. I don't think he likes to be touched by anyone he doesn't like. But don't worry. I'm sure he'll come to like you. It's just the situation."  
  
"Oh." Sango nodded. "I see. I'm sorry about this Aoi!" The massive wolf seemed to cringe as Sango called his name. "I'd release you from those chains if I could, but Inuyasha would KILL me!" she exclaimed.  
  
Kagome stopped being amused. "How arrogant. He stoops so low."  
  
Sango cocked her head to the side, confused momentarily until she realized what she meant. "Oh! I didn't mean that literally!"  
  
"Sure?"  
  
"Oh don't listen to her, she's just the cook." Miroku stated as he walked towards them. Inuyasha and the other men came into view a second after.  
  
"Rest tonight," Miroku spoke loud enough so the other men, who were gambling and trying not to let Inuyasha see, "because tomorrow we MUST return to the fort."  
  
Inuyasha growled as he leapt into the tree. Kagome arched her eyebrows into an unasked question. "He always sleeps in trees. Feels he's better than us!" Mirokru responded cheerily. "Ow!" as a branch hit him.  
  
"Shut up monk and get to sleep."  
  
"He does that because Miroku likes to bother him when he sleeps." Sango whispered as she set up their tent and as both girls went inside, Miroku called out to them.  
  
"Would you like me to stay with you to calm your fears ladies?"  
  
"I'd be more afraid being in the same tent as you! GIVE ME THE WOLVES!" Sango cried out and laughed as she dimmed the light in their tent.  
  
Miroku pouted before getting into his tent. "Let's see what'll happen when the wolves do come dear Sango..." he grinned maliciously as he entered his tent, with no intention of sleeping.  
  
~*~  
  
AN: I'm so sorry for not updating for such a long time! But I made this chapter two pages longer.  
  
And remember, this IS a Sesshoumaru/Kagura.  
  
This reason I repeat myself is, I don't want to get reviews going "BUT YOU SAID IT WAS A SESS/KAGURA!!!"  
  
I DID say it was a Sesshoumaru/Kagura and it IS.  
  
This is just for angst build up. ^_^ I'm such a happy little bunny right now.  
  
Review please~! 


	7. Keeping Her

_"...A broken rose and laughin' eyes  
You're a mystery  
Always runnin' wild  
Like a child without a home  
You're always searchin'  
Searchin for a feelin'  
But it's easy come and easy go...  
  
Oh... I'm sorry but it's true  
You're bringin' on the heartache  
Takin' all the best of me  
Oh, can't you see  
You got the best of me  
Whoa can't you see..."_ – _**Bringing on the Heartbreak, Mariah Carey**_  
  
Fire and Ice  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Keeping Her  
  
by: bs  
  
::GROOWLL::  
  
"Did you hear that?!" Sango hissed to Kagome, who slowly sat up and stared at the stiffened back of the ex-cook.  
  
"What?"  
  
::AROWORRRRRRRRRRRRRR::  
  
"That!" Sango spun around and slid next to Kagome. The girl, quite irritated, slowly pulled off her blankets and tossed them aside.  
  
"Yes. And?" she said tersely.  
  
"Wolves!" Sango threw her arms up in frustration. "There are wolves out there! Aren't you worried?" Kagome looked at Sango and arched an eyebrow. "Come on! Tell me you are! Oh shit..."  
  
Kagome shrugged and got up, gently treading the dirt in their tent. "Sh..." she put up a finger to her lips to silence anything Sango was about to say.  
  
"Oh..." Sango breathed and quickly caught up and was behind Kagome in a flash.  
  
Kagome slowly untied the string that was encasing them in the tent. Sango rushed over to the opposing side and helped. Then, slowly, both girls left the tent. Kagome motioned for Sango to follow her and they quickly snuck around to the back of the tent.  
  
When another howl pierced the thick silence.  
  
::AREOOOOOOOOOOOOOWRERRRRRRRRRR::  
  
"Eeep!" Sango squealed a little, but was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth when Kagome snapped her head around and gave a vicious glare. Sango mouthed an apology, but it was unneccessary, seeing as they were doing what she had planned without any hitches.  
  
They continued creeping until the reached their destination. Some shrubbery blocked them from view, a few feet away from the back of their tent.  
  
And there they saw what was howling.  
  
=.=  
  
Kagura slowly opened her eyes, her mind still hazy over what had happened to cause her to fall into such a deep sleep. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she breathed a small word. "Fuck."  
  
"Damn right!" a deep, smooth voice from behind her barked. "It's about time you woke up anyway! You've been sleeping like a pig!" Kagura immediately sat up, making sure to have herself covered modestly with tatters of what once was her beautifully sewn kimono.  
  
She turned and glared at the wolf youkai, who had, by the looks of it, gone somewhere rather dusty before coming back to wake her up. She narrowed her eyes in extreme anger and she saw red.  
  
Before she knew it, she had flown into a rage and was trying to beat up Kouga with her fists, her kimono barely staying on and just there in covering her up.  
  
"Hurry up! We've got to get a move on it! Naraku's calling!" Kagura slanted her eyes at Kouga, still a bit sore from the rough treatment he had given her earlier. She was going to kill him. However, Kouga had other plans.  
  
Impatient, he reached down and pulled her up roughly by the wrist. Wide- eyed with shock Kagura was too stunned to move and he quickly threw her over his shoulder and ran off, following the bees as he quickly picked up pace.  
  
=.=  
  
Sango twitched. Kagome watched, deeply amused.  
  
Sango took a deep breath. Kagome settled herself out of harm's way.  
  
Sango screamed, and ran full speed at Miroku, who had turned at the loud screech Sango had let out.  
  
Kagome watched with amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched Sango maul Miroku. It was quite enjoying, and Miroku WAS getting what he deserved.  
  
" – YOU STUPID IDIOT! KEEPIN' ME UP ALL THAT TIME JUST TO TRY AND GET INTO MY TENT! STUPID BLOODY BASTARD!" Sango was screaming directly into the wincing monk's ear. Not only was she irritating Inuyasha, who had lazily popped an eyelid up to watch the rucus, but the men in the tents were starting to stir. And... they were OH so not happy campers... quite in a literal sense.  
  
"Oi. Sango. Keep it DOWN!" Inuyasha barked from the tree. Sango did a thing that made Kagome very very very amused indeed. She raised a special middle finger to Inuyasha and went back to making Miroku deaf in one ear.  
  
"BITCH!" Inuyasha growled and leapt off the tree and onto the bundle of cloths that was Sango and Miroku.  
  
"GAH! YOU IDIOT! WHY THE HELL DID YOU – HOUSHI! DON'T. TOUCH. ME. THEREEEEE!"  
  
::WHACK::  
  
Kagome cringing inwardly and watched with fascination. The hanyou was sprawled on his butt and sulking while rapping his claws into the dirt, watching the ex-cook beat up the ex-monk with a half bored expression on his face.  
  
"...But... OW! Your arse is just so OW!"  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!!!"  
  
The men had begun to clear out of the tent and settled themselves around the brawling Sango.  
  
Kagome couldn't help but be amused and grin, thinking...  
  
This must happen a lot.  
  
=.= [not that it relates to the story in any way, but I'm eating marshmallows right now. mm.... marshmallows...]  
  
Sesshoumauru narrowed his eyes at the lizard youkai before him. "Say that again." he said calmly, after a moment of silence.  
  
The reptile before him cowered. "Please! Lord Sesshoumauru! I beg of – "  
  
"I said repeat what you said!" he roared, his eyes flashing a deep crimson red.  
  
"I... I said... that I was passing through Fort Shikon, one of Lord Inuyasha's sanctuaries, and I smelt it in the air milord. It was your scent! Blood, pain, death! Mixed in with your scent!" the youkai began to talk animatedly, chattering with nervousness. "...and it was all over milord! The blood! The bodies were littering the grounds! The castle was completely ransacked and destroyed!"  
  
"Where did my scent lead away to? What direction? Was anyone else with me?" Sesshoumaru inquired, putting the sweating lizard under his piercing gaze.  
  
"I...I'm not sure milord. I tried to follow the scent... track it down someways yet... yet..."  
  
"Yet what?" Sesshoumaru growled, impatient. He leaned down and grabbed the kneeling youkai up by the collar of the crude, brown shirt the lizard was wearing. The lizard squealed and whimpered in protest.  
  
"Aye! Milord! Please, put me down! Please! I beg of you!"  
  
Sesshoumaru's hold on the shirt only tightened and a ripping sound signaled that holes had been born through the weak fabric. "Answer my question."  
  
"It disappeared! It vanished! I rounded the site for hours and hours, but it just vanished! It was as if you had leapt into the air and flown off! Milord... ACK!"  
  
Sesshoumaru had tightened his grip, to the point where he was clutching the youkai's neck. "S-sire!" the youkai wheezed, his hands grappling at Sesshoumaru hand, trying to loosen the grip, "P-please! I-I can't... can't..."  
  
"Can't WHAT?" Sesshoumaru growled at the defiancy of the lesser youkai.  
  
"...can't...can't..." the lizard wheezed. "b..bre...ath..." and Sesshoumaru threw the youkai at the wall, where he hit it full on with a sickening thud.  
  
The youkai, knelt onto the ground, and supported himself with one hand on the ground, the other pressed against his neck, and breathing loudly. "Th- thank you milord!" he gasped between breaths.  
  
"Go." Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes flashing crimson red for a moment.  
  
"Yes milord!" and the lizard scurried out of the tent. Jaken must have been spying, because a second later, the toad was scuffling into the tent, bowing towards Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Milord!" it squeaked. [yes, I categorize Jaken as an it.] "I've sent some wolf youkai and tracked down the place they called Fort Shikon! They have reported it exactly as that idiot lizard has said! The area reeks of your scent milord! And it seems recent!" the toad squaked the last part, looking for any emotion on his face. Apparently, it found one. "AH! MILORD! DO NOT BE UPSET WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" as Sesshoumaru kicked him out of the tent and it went soaring into the sky.  
  
_So it appears there is a third party involved with this war...  
_  
=.=  
  
"YOU BASTARD!" Kagome growled loudly and shocked Sango.  
  
Inuyasha snarled and turned around to shut the prisoner up and saw a very amusing sight. Very amusing indeed.  
  
Sango was trying to keep Kagome away from the little orange bundle which was currently sitting on Miroku's head. Kagome had taken to growling and clawing at the air right before the kitsune's face. "STUPID IDIOT WOMAN! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT! AOIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" The screams were rather irritating, not to mention the fact that Kagome's tone full of anger. "LEEEEETTTTTTTTT MEEEEEEEEEE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" but her screams were really bothering Inuyasha's conscience. They had so much anger in them that it... what was he THINKING?  
  
She was the PRISONER and he was not going to ease her pain by letting her mutant pet dog go!  
  
"AOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! !!!"  
  
Then again... maybe he wouldn't have his conscience bother him after he had gone deaf listening to all this screaming...  
  
[oh... just do it. I know you want to. I find the fact that she screams 'aoi' is funny. you try it. it sounds like you're saying 'owie'! ]  
  
"Yo! Inukurro!" a deep voice, one deeper than Inuyasha's, called out. Inuyasha jumped up as if he had been bitten by a snake on his buttock. []  
  
"You stupid bastard!" Inuyasha shouted. Sango stopped pummeling Miroku and looked up from her position on the ground. Unwise mistake.  
  
Miroku, taking her offguard, took the chance to place his hand on one of Sango's more feminine spots. Sango immediately cuffed Miroku and went back to slapping him around as they ran around in circles.  
  
"Oi. What are those two up to again?" the man stepped up next to Inuyasha and surveyed the 'battle'.  
  
"Eh. Usual. Stupid bloody monk tried to get into her tent." Inuyasha grunted, grinning and watched as his ex-cook beat his ex-monk.  
  
Kagome watched both parties, aware this situation occurred often for them. After awhile, the new comer turned to Inuyasha. "So what was it you wanted me for again?"  
  
"You know about the war. Kouga, I'm sorry to ask this... but I need your help."  
  
The wolf youkai grinned widely, baring his fangs. "Finally learned your place mutt face!"  
  
Kagome took this opportunity to leap up at the orange bundle sitting idly in the trees. "AH! SANGO! HELP ME!" the little bundle screamed and ran straight into the arms of the woman.  
  
Kouga and Inuyasha took this chance and dragged Miroku away from the murderous woman. They were none too gentle either. "Ow! Hey!"  
  
"Kagome!" Sango said sharply, "just what do you have against this poor kitsune! She's probably not even old enough to understand what's going on!"  
  
The kitsune in her arms reacted violently to this. It twisted and turned and manipulated itself so it was stationed on top of her shoulder. "I'm not a girl! And I'm not stupid either! You're with that stupid bitch!"  
  
"Sango! Get away from him NOW." Kagome eyed the kitsune warily and motioned for something behind her back.  
  
"Hey!" Inuyasha called out, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Saving your cook. That kitsune. Not a child. Illusions are their forte, no? Well, that isn't a child." Kagome said grimly before disappearing in a flash of blue light.  
  
"FUCK!" And with that, the kitsune leapt behind Sango, a blue fire flaming about him, before calming down to reveal a rather handsome young man, with redish tinged hair, and pulled Sango close to him, a knife at her throat. "Damn you bitch!" the young man growled. He looked to be a much older version of the young kitsune Sango was holding earlier. "Now why'd you have to go and spoil my fun? I was having fun with you," and he tilted the dagger upward and forced Sango to lean her head back and face him a bit, "being held and all."  
  
Sango went red in the face, and her expression twisted to that of an angry one. She gritted her teeth, but she did nothing. She was not stupid... she wasn't in a position to fight back right now.  
  
"Scolding me for ruining your fun. How typical. How childish. That IS what you are... isn't it? Why else would you always prefer to take the shape of a child then?" Kagome answered evenly, coolly.  
  
Inuyasha growled and stepped in front of Kagome. "Look you stupid fox. I have no time nor the patience to deal with your stupid meddling tricks right now. Get away from my cook and leave us and I shall spare your life. Stay and try to overtake me and you shall be smited."  
  
To Inuyasha's annoyance, the kitsune only laughed. "Smited? What kind of an idiot still uses the word 'smited'? You are really out of the times! How old are you? 1,000 years old or something? Seriously! Who the HELL uses the word SMITED?" the kitsune began to chuckle.  
  
Miroku swore by the book that steam rose out of Inuyasha's ears. "Why... you... little... PUNK!!!!!!" he roared and leapt straight into the air.  
  
They watched as he soared out of sight.  
  
"He can jump pretty high when he wants to eh?" the kitsune grinned, nudging Sango's neck. "I suppose I was just too much for him to han – mpyh!" the kitsune was suddenly slammed into the dirt and a red blur sat on him quite firmly. Inuyasha grinned and cuffed the kitsune on the head a couple of times, emitting from him strange whines.  
  
Sango, who had been shoved aside when Inuyasha had snuck up on Shippou, now lay tangled on the ground with Miroku. "Gah!" and in an instant she was off of him. Luckily, Miroku was knocked unconscious when Sango had abruptly landed on him and did not realize what had happened.  
  
"Eh...?" Miroku blinked groggily and turned himself face up on the ground. "Why am I lying on the dirt?"  
  
"Shut up and get over here idiot!" Kouga snarled, quickly striding over and pulling up Miroku none too gently and grasping Sango by the arm, leading them away to where he was observing the whole scenario.  
  
"How galiant and brave of you Sir Kouga." Sango remarked dryly after a few seconds.  
  
"It beats being in that kitsune's spot."  
  
Miroku nodded. "What wise thoughts Kouga. I'd thought that to be quite above you!" he cheerily stated before sulking back when the wolf youkai cuffed him on the head.  
  
"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!" Inuyasha screeched. Sango rolled her eyes and shied further away from Miroku, still red in the face from their close contact from a few minutes before.  
  
She looked over to where Inuyasha was and looked a bit to the right. She was sure she had seen something moving there...  
  
There is was again! Oh - they had forgotten about Kagome!  
  
As Sango monitered Kagome's movements, or what could be called movements... the girl was just sort of leaning low to the ground, one arm placed on the ground to help balance her as she did a rather awkward crab walk edging closer to the backs of Shippou and Inuyasha.  
  
" - I'LL TEACH YOU SOME MANNERS YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT!" Miroku and Kouga were enraptured and very entertained by the 'lecture' that the oh so very very wise Inuyasha was giving the kitsune. During the 'lecture', apparently the kitsune had reverted to his orginal form. As a child.  
  
"AND ANOTHER THING! WHY THE HELL DID YOU GIVE AN ILLUSION AS A GROWN KITSUNE? HOW STUPID!" Inuyasha growled, giving him cuffs to the head and punching him about every other word. Kagome had snuck herself very... very close to Inuyasha. She was slowly straightening herself, standing up so that she was positioned right behind the kneeled form of the hanyou.  
  
Inuyasha, being so focused on 'drilling the lesson' into the kitsune's scowl, was completely unaware of her actions. Sango was postive of that fact, as Inuyasha did not like having anyone he did not trust, or have chained, so close to him. As he liked to refer to it, his personal square.  
  
Miroku had once asked him about the square business and was briskly replied with a "Bubbles are for wussys." Sango had not even bothered to question Inuyasha... or Miroku. Men were such strange and complicated creatures...  
  
"I SHOULD SKIN YOU ALIVE FOR YOUR IGNORANCE AND FOOLISHNESS YOU FOOL!"  
  
"...that was original you old fart!" the kitsune finally shot back. He lept back a step, but the space was quickly closed as Inuyasha took a step further, and whacked Shippou on the head.  
  
"I'm not THAT old you ignorant brat!" Inuyasha hissed. Kagome wrinkled her nose, a bit irritated that those two had momentarily given her a hitch in her plans as she scuffled another inch closer.  
  
"Well, you look it!" Shippou was getting braver and braver with every word. Both, however, were still ignorant of Kagome. "I mean, look at your freakin' HAIR! It's white! What kind of self righteous person would WANT white hair?!"  
  
"IT'S NOT WHITE!"  
  
"Tell youself that."  
  
"IT'S SILVER YOU BRAT!"  
  
"That's what they _all_ say..."  
  
::TWHAP::  
  
In a blink of an eye, Kagome had pounced on Shippou and had him pressed against a tree, hand strangling his throat. The little kitsune was turning blue... purple... red... blueish purple... blueish red...  
  
"THAT'S ENOUGH KAGOME!" Sango yelled, running across to where she was. She pulled hard on Kagome's grip on the fox, trying to loosen it and to no avail. "STOP! STOP!"  
  
"Leave it." Kagome hissed. She noticeable loosened her grip on Shippou and glared at Sango, eyes completely black. "You don't know what he's done. Who he's killed." she hissed as she returned to strangling Shippou. Aoi, who had woken up from being drugged, snarled dangerously and yanked away hard at the chains that bound him.  
  
"Let Shippou go Kagome!" Sango cried, standing right next to her, but powerless to do anything.  
  
"Let Aoi go Sango." She replied in an even tone, staring at Sango, but ever so slightly tightening her hold on Shippou. Shippou, it seemed, was able to breathe. It seemed hard, but it was obvious she was letting him breathe. She turned her head away from Sango and focused her unnerving and unwavering gaze upon the fox. It seemed this scared him, for he thrashed and flailed his limbs wilder and harder. "Why do you protect him?" she whispered as an eerie silence claimed the campsite. It seemed even the men in the tent were awake and aware there was danger afoot. Inuyasha could hear them silently taking offense positions, if necessary. They were going to defend their lord. "You do not even know him. So why protect him?"  
  
Sango seemed taken by surprise by the questions and seemed at loss for words. Miroku stepped up for her.  
  
"He is just a child, Kagome. I'm assuming that's either your name or one of Sango's fetishes. Leave him be. He cannot possibly have done so much harm to you."  
  
Kagome suddenly let go of Shippou, who was startled by it and fell uncerimonially to the dirt floor. Kagome kicked him hard into the tree, effectively knocking him out. She turned to Miroku. "What do you know? How can you possibly know the sins he had done? The crimes he has committed? The blood he has shed? How can you _possibly know_?" Kagome gritted through her teeth. She looked beyond angry, her whole body frame trembling and her gaze upon the floor. No one dared move.  
  
"K-kagome..." Sango started weakly.  
  
"How can you _possibly_ know the pain that he has caused? He slaughtered an entire village of helpless farmers! He killed all livestock! He burned down their houses." Kagome's voice was becoming calmer with every word she spoke. As she winded down, she was back to the old, monotonous voice she had used when they first captured her. "He ravaged all their crops. You cannot have pity or sympathy for that creature. He saved the children for last. He tortured and mutilated their parents. They were still alive to witness the death of their children. So now... you know. Do you _still_ want to save him?" Kagome looked up from the ground and stared unwavering at Miroku. He was wide-eyed, as was everyone else who had just heard her. But Miroku was down right gaping. His jaw slackened and he gaped at her and then forced his gaze upon the unconscious kitsune, who looked like an innocent child, sleeping and dreaming.  
  
"Wh...what?" he asked hoarsely. "He did what?"  
  
"You heard me." She turned her gaze to Sango. "I could leave now, but I shall stay. If he stays with us Sango, I will kill him and leave. If he leaves, we shall meet another day for his death and I shall stay for as long as you wish. That is all." She gave Inuyasha a cold glare before striding into the tent she and Sango shared.  
  
Everyone stood still as if time itself stood still. "Oi Inuyasha. I'll get back to your fort first. Seems like you have it cut out for you here." Kouga said roughly and briskly as he ran off in a whirlwind.  
  
Inuyasha cleared his throat before nodding a quick yes to the wolf. As soon as Kouga was out of sight, he began. "Sango. Get that kitsune outta here as soon as he wakes up. Miroku, you go sleep. Sango, just make sure to keep her," and he nudged his head in Kagome's direction slightly, "chained up from now on."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Sure thing Yasha."  
  
"Rest up." Inuyasha nodded, leaping onto the nearest tree.  
  
_We've got us a big day ahead tomorrow..._  
  
AN: Okay... I've waited for like... a week and my beta never e-mailed me back, so excuse any mistakes!!! Oh! And I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but if I want this story to STAY ON THE PLOT LINE, I gotta concentrate because... well... I tend to screw around if I get bored of the story. Like DYLM?  
  
Yeah. And then it becomes all fucked up. So yeah... well... hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	8. Amusing Her

AN: Okay, so I'm _baaaaaaaaaack..._sorry for the long wait. Long story short, I'm a stubborn bitch when it gets to the internet and the computer. So you all have to thank sin for prodding me to do this chapter! (yeah. that and the fact that I'm doing this just to avoid doing homework.)

BTW... Kagome does indeed look like Kikyou (I wouldn't change a character's appearance for a fic!) but see... Kagome lives in the wild (err - yeah. something like that.). Kikyou is a lady of upper class. Living in those different enviroments will obviously give them different looks ( in a sense...)... just slightly though. And besides, who would tell Inuyasha (who doesn't even bother looking closely at Kagome) that she looks like Kikyou?

...exactly. And the last chapter's title "Keeping Her" was named like that was because she suddenly voluntarily let them 'keep' her and she would only stay if he (and i use this term loosely) threw Shippou away. So he chose. Thus he wanted to 'keep her'.

_**Confusing I know...**_

0-o-0-o-0

_"...Can't change this feeling  
I'm way out of touch  
Can't change this meaning  
It means too much_

_Never been this lonely  
Never felt so good  
Can't be the only one misunderstood  
I remind myself of somebody else_

_Feeling like I'm chasing  
Like I'm facing myself alone  
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head  
I want some of my own_

_I want some of my own  
__I want some of my own  
Can you see me up here?  
Would you bring me back down?_

_Cause I've been living to see my fears  
A__s they fall to the ground..." -_ **Lifehouse, Someone Else's Song**

0-o-0-o-0

Kagome awoke to the feel of Inuyasha's boot on her butt. She felt it a couple more times. Too many feelings in the morning...

"STOP KICKING ME!" she snapped and sat up, rubbing her sore behind. Inuyasha grinned in a rather sadistic way, and snapped his hands. Four guards immediately came, and Kagome noted that one of them was carrying chains.

"Awake yet bitch?"

Kagome growled. Inuyasha just laughed and motioned for the guards to chain her up. Kagome glared at them, and three hesitated. The other one paused in his movements as soon as he noticed he was the only one moving. Kagome mentally grinned. _So these poor saps are **scared** of me are they..?_

Kagome relaxed herself, letting herself slump towards the ground and mentally prepared herself to spring into a crouch. The men slowly shuffled forward, and were advancing. Inuyasha scoffed and began to head out of the tent.

Fire and Ice

Chapter Seven

Amusing Her

By: bs

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Inuyasha turned around in time to see all four guards run out of the tent, screaming their heads off.

"What the - ?!" and he was knocked over by one of the running men. Inuyasha quickly jumped up and growled. "What the fuck was that for?!?!"

Kagome quickly lifted up the flap to the tent and got out. She started to walk over to Sango, who immediately stopped her conversation with one of the men, noting Inuyasha's murderous glare. Kagome nodded to her and Sango got up, but not quickly enough to block Inuyasha's tirade.

"What are you doing **bitch**?" He spat out. "I want you in chains and I want you in them _now_." He hissed, glaring. He turned and motioned for a few men to come over, and they did so... dragging their feet. "Hey!" Inuyasha growled indignantly.

The men sped up, and soon were around Kagome again, but Kagome just stood there with her arms crossed... and she had a very bored expression on her face. "What? Do you really want to lose your insides? I doubt it. I haven't seen a single man yet who's lived without a heart... or a pair of good lungs for that matter..." Kagome sneered. "I told you. I will stay. You don't have to fucking chain me like a stupid bat or something. And get Aoi off chains." The men, with great looks of relief on their faces, backed away and the chains were being put away.

Inuyasha fumed. "Hey! You don't fucking give orders here **bitch**, and I want you _chained_ so you will be!" He stormed over to where the chains were laying and picked it up. "Even if I have to fucking do it myself!" He gave the men standing around him scathing glares, and growled.

"Wait Inuyasha!" Sango called out as she stepped inbetween Inuyasha and Kagome. She was a physical barrier that he had to get around to get to the bitch... and he sure as well wasn't going to hurt her... Sango, not the bitch. So he had to compromise around this... maybe he could edge around her while she was distracted...?

"And why should I?" He drawled. Sango narrowed her eyes and let out a breath of frustration.

"Because she already has willingly JOINED our side you bonehead! Why the hell would you chain her up when she's already told you that she wasn't going to leave?!"

"You know... that's pretty good Inuyasha. Maybe you should - "

"Shut up Miroku!"

"Shutting up."

"...and as you were saying?" Sango gestured for Inuyasha to continue this 'fight' when he threw the chains on the ground. He began to grind his teeth in a rather worrisome way... he was going to cut his mouth sooner or later doing that... and then he started stalking away. When he neared the last tent, Kagome nodded at Sango, who smiled back. Then came a bark...

"Don't touch the stupid mutt!" Inuyasha yelled and practically smashed himself against the tent in an attempt to get into it. Falling down on his rear end for the second time that morning, he blinked.

And then got up again and tried to enter the tent again. He was unable to open the tent. Many of the men who were eating breakfast turned their attentions to their struggling lord.

In frustration and complete ignorance to his watchful audience, which now included Miroku, Sango, and Kagome, he took a few steps back and turned... _to ram himself into the tent door_.

As he landed with a rather loud '**_pwhat_**' onto the flap, things started happening in slow motion... First and foremost, he was slowly peeled off the flap and thrown backwards rather violently into the tree parallel to the abused tent. And they say that where there is an action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So to make up for the slow motion, things sped up. Inuyasha slammed against the trees, causing some of the fruit in it to plummet towards the ground. It just so happened that a group of men were enjoying their breakfast under that said tree.

One of the fruits, a very hard and round one, landed square on one of the men's head. His face fell forward, but as the equal and opposite reaction occured, his hand snapped up and the fork he was holding flew forward, straight into the campfire. Sango uttered a gasp of horror, but when the fork landed into the fire, it knocked one of the pieces of lumber loose and it rolled straight into the tent where the massive wolf was contained.

0-o-0-o-0

Kagura looked sullenly at the castle that looked like it had been drenched in sorrow and morbidness... "Great. I get the haunted castle while Kouga gets to party it up in the greenery. Joyishness."

_...yeah. And HE doesn't have to go and seduce Mr. I Will Kill You If You Touch Me... _Kagura sighed and looked down at the tattered remains of her favorite kimono and started limping towards the morose looking castle.

As she neared the gate, she noticed two guards staring at her fiercely. _Dammit... who do you have to fuck to get better access?!_

She stood a few yards away from them, giving them a forlorn expression, as if she was not really sure where she was and if this place wasn't in her dreams... The two guards whispered to each other and nodded. One came forward. "What is your purpose here?" His voice boomed and was oh so very **deep**...

_What a poser... a real guard would have stabbed me in the pressure point and asked questions after I woke up chained..._

Clearing her throat a little, Kagura managed to 'conceal' a whimper as she spoke in a soft, shy tone. "I... I'm lost. Do you know where I am?" She tried to combine Kanna's soft voice into her words... and it seemed to work on the guard.

Yep. It was working. He was looking at her as if he wasn't sure what to do, but she knew what he was going to do, the way he was eyeing her like that.

_Stupid bloody bastard's probably thinking he's going to get something good for bringing his lord a hot piece of ass. Dickheads. All of them._

"Yes. And by the looks of it, you do not look as if your travels have been easy on you." He tried to retain his 'I'm scary. Look at Me' look, but the perverted side of the man was leering on the edge. He hadn't seen a woman in seven months...

_Duh little man. How about getting raped by a guy and finding out that he meant to do it all along sound to you?!?!_

"You can come into the castle with me. You'll be safe there. My lord will be happy to receive you..."

_He better damn well be!!!! _Kagura stopped her little one sided conversation in her head when she noticed the guard looking at her. She answered quickly, noticing that the other guard was edging closer, intrigued by what his friend was doing.

"A-alright. If you say so good sir..." She added a little hesitancy to her voice to make it more convincing. The guard smiled and took her arm, with 'good' intentions and led her through the wooden doors.

0-o-0-o-0

Inuyasha looked at the damage that was done to the campsite. He shook his head and sighed when Miroku tried to poke the ashes of his tent, which was in a nice little mound... but when he touched it, it collapsed.

"Why are **you** sighing??" Sango twitched. "YOU started the fire. YOU ran away from the fire. YOU came back to yell at everyone who HELPED put the fire out. YOU are being a nuisance."

"**I** started the fire because you two are bitches. **I** ran away from the fire because **my hair was on fire**. I had to go dunk it out." Inuyasha twitched, thinking about his eyebrows. They looked a little weird... but it was a good thing his hair grew back fast. Really fast. He couldn't think how Kikyou would react to him coming back with half an eyebrow left. "**I **came back to yell at everyone because you were betting on my HAIR. **AND** I'm being a nuisance because... because... uh, because I feel like it dammit!!"

"...niiiiiiice." Miroku popped up his head. "Hey, do you want me to head over to the nearest town and get new tents??"

"...I'm going with you." Sango dead panned.

"...why? I'm not _that _weak thankyouverymuch!" Miroku snorted.

"...no. Not that."

"I'm going too. I don't want to have you killed by anyone but me."

"Oh... feeling jealous are we?"

"...just go you idiot."

0-o-0-o-0

"Why can't we stop and rest?! We have been walking nonstop for the past two days!! I want to sleep! I want to eat! I want to rest! I want to drink! I want to stoooopppppppppppp!!!!!!" Jakotsu whined, stamping his feet as he lumbered along with the rest of the men.

"No." Renkotsu's tone of voice told him that if he kept it up, he was going to snap.

"Well, I want to know why Kyoukotsu isn't with us! **He** would have given me a lift in this stupid walking!" Jakotsu muttered.

"Why don't you just ask Ginkotsu to give you one?"

Jakotsu tapped his shoulder and peered behind him to look at the aforementioned man. He looked more like something fashioned together by a bad blacksmith... but in reality he had been severely abused as a child, losing his vocal box in the process. His arms were so beaten and had healed in such funny angles that Sesshoumaru had found him a decent blacksmith, cut off his useless arms, and replaced them with dangerous weaponry. Half of Ginkotsu's face had been mutilated in a mission and he wore a metal mask to hide it from strangers.

"Ginkotsu! Will you let me ride on you?" the suddenly chippy man chirped. "I'm sooo tired and Renkotsu's being _meeeeeeeaaaaaaan_!!!" The man grunted, and it seemed that to Jakotsu, it was a yes... because he squealed and leapt onto the giant man. Setting himself comfortably on Ginkotsu's right shoulder, Jakotsu began chattering away again. "And WHY isn't Kyoukotsu with us?? I mean, we're hardly the Shichinin-tai without him!"

"We aren't the Shichinin-tai anymore anyway Jakotsu. There's only six... so one missing temporarily won't matter." Suikotsu stated wisely.

"...yeah. But still..."

"Just shut up already!" Renkotsu barked. He always got moody whenever Bankotsu was mentioned... he was the black sheep of the group.

Jakotsu sighed melodramatically.

"What is it **now**?" Renkotsu asked as he grinded his jaws. "Because I swear I will tear your throat out and make good use of your head as a ball."

Jakotsu pouted but spoke anyway. "Oh nothing. I was just wondering what we were going to do about people we met along this path."

Renkotsu snorted. "I've already been informed that this is the least traveled path, straight to the fortress of Inuyasha. Rarely do any people travel it."

"Oh. Then why is there a horde of women running in this direction?"

0-o-0-o-0

"HOUSHI! YOU DAMN IDIOT!!!!!!" Inuyasha screamed as he ran from the village. Miroku ran as quickly as him, having been around Inuyasha for a good few years, but was breathing hard. Sango was in front of them just slightly, riding on Kirara, rolling her eyes and fuming silently.

As they neared the campsite, the first thing Inuyasha and Sango both did was give Miroku a few good smacks on the head. Kagome sat there poking at the ashes of one of the tents... (or was it one of the trees?) and looked up with mild interest.

"Oi. What did you do bouzou?" Kagome called out as she lay aside the stick she had been using for prodding the ashes and walked to stand next to Sango. Miroku sat in a slumped position at Sango's feet and Inuyasha was parallel to the ex-cook.

"He was being an IDIOT!" Sango cried, and kicked sand at the monk's head when she said the word 'idiot', and stormed away, most likely to round up the men. Inuyasha took inspiration from Sango and was now walking in circles around Miroku, kicking dirt onto him every step or two.

"He promised himself to half the town's women this morning and between the time we arrived and got him to stop harassing the female population and where we finally found new tents to buy, all the women found out and started chasing him, screaming about 'broken dreams' and shit like that." Inuyasha seemed like it was funny but remembered something that sobered him up. "I wouldn't have minded as much if he hadn't of **DROPPED ALL THE MONEY WE HAD WHILE WE WERE RUNNING!!!**"

Miroku winced, but sat there. Kagome was wondering about why he was just sitting there when she realized that he was tied up with chains...

Suppressing a smile, she questioned the still kicking hanyou. "What happened? Are they still chasing you?"

Inuyasha grinned a little at this, showing his fang tips. "No... there was this fork in the road and I know that one of them paths isn't used a lot so I made us dash there and over the trees, so right now the bitches are probably running after dust."

"...what if they run into someone?"

"They won't." Inuyasha nodded dogmatically.

0-o-0-o-0

"Gahhh..." Jakotsu wheezed as he leaned against a tree. He was panting hard, as was everyone else. They had to run for cover and camaflouge themselves so they wouldn't attract attention. And having a horde of women around you wasn't exactly the best way to go about doing something like that.

...so with the suggestion of running for it, as prompted by Renkotsu, the men ran for the trees. And by the time they had reached the trees, the women had already caught sight of them and were furiously chasing them.

"Well, wasn't that a strategic move for us?" Suikotsu remarked. He knew that it was better that way... Jakotsu tended to get a little violent when surrounded by so many women... One or two was enough.

...but if you put him in a crowd of females, he would go ballistic.

Suikotsu knew this from experience. Very disturbing experience.

0-o-0-o-0

Kagome sat there watching The Men assemble themselves. Yes. They were The Men. With captial letters. They were The Men.

Of course she only called them that because she really didn't see any real reason as to why she should learn all their names. They also provided excellent entertainment. Aoi lay at her feet, eyes closed as if the giant wolf was asleep. But Kagome knew better. He was probably checking out everyone's backgrounds and getting information.

Oh! Man Number Fourteen tripped on a rock, cussed the gods, and fell into Man Number Eight's backpack.

"Watch it!" said Man Number Eight. It seemed that Man Number Fourteen had a very bad temper. Quite like a stupid hanyou she knew...

"Well, if your stupid backpack wasn't there, I wouldn't have tripped on it would I?!?!"

"Shut up will you? We need to hurry!" Oh... Man Number ONE butted in. Dangerous.

"Who made you the fucking boss?!?!" Man Number Fourteen and Man Number Eight joined forces and was gaining on Man Number One...

...this was almost as fun as watching Sango beat up Miroku. **Almost. **

"Alright! We're setting out now! RIGHT?!" Inuyasha yelled. He was rather testy from the day's event... and Miroku was suffering greatly. Kagome was content with the arrangements. Sango and she had struck an agreement (Inuyasha was being too much of an asshole and Miroku was in a semiconscious state for the day, so neither men had any say in the agreement...) that Kagome was to help them win the war and they would treat her like they treated Sango.

Apparently Sango was treated very well, incidentally since she had practically shared a crib with Inuyasha and the fact that she fought better than any of them helped.

...now there was only problem in the whole agreement...

..._to get Inuyasha to be a part of it._

0-o-0-o-0

Kagura looked around as she followed the guard, noting doorways and steps. Might as well familiarize herself with the surroundings in case the rumors about Sesshoumaru were true and he **didn't** fancy women... she better have an escape plan ready. The morbidness that seeped through the walls of the fort did not help her uneasiness in the slightest.

"Here." The guard grunted and pointed to the door, opening it and shoving her into it roughly. She stumbled, a very unusual thing for her. And she looked up, suddenly wishing that her legs would stop feeling so wobbly and unbalanced. She was staring straight into the cold, merciless eyes of the infamous Lord Sesshoumaru...

0-o-0-o-0

AN: Anyone having a heart attack right about now? I updated! ::shock:: Anyway, I WAS going to up the rating but I decided against it... should I?? 0.o


	9. Seeing Her

AN: **SIN'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIN!!! **She's 14 now! I'm going to be **15** in **five days**...

Anyway...

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

_"I could be anything you want me to be  
Cook you nice dinners and then gently rub your feet  
I could be the perfect wife and be your slave for life_

_But I won't  
No I won't_

_I could be the sweetest thing you think you've ever seen  
Dress up in skimpy clothes all to fulfill your dreams  
I could do anything to show how much you mean_

_But I won't  
No I won't_

_I could be the mistress who says she doesn't care  
And I'll keep on smiling when you're treating me like air  
I could be your best friend... the one who's always there_

_But I won't  
No I won't_

_I'm gonna be the thing in your head  
Keepin you awake all night in your bed  
And every time you feel you're losing control  
Remember that I'm the one who's at home_

_I can be the things you want  
But I won't..." -_ **Ana Johnsson, Cuz I Can**

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

Kagura's nerves were not working properly. She felt frozen, the cold gaze of Sesshoumaru watching her.

Damn, it was very unnerving!! She finally found the strength to stand up straight, and look at Sesshoumaru with what she hoped was a cool stare. "What are you here for?" _Gods... his voice is even more intimidating! Damn him... damn Naraku... damn Kouga... damn anything that has a penis..._

"I was lost. I've been wandering and... and..." Kagura's mind ran around in circles. What was she supposed to use as an excuse again??? But what Kouga had done to her was reacting to how Sesshoumaru thought. _Damn Naraku and his stupid 'I know how people will react' theories..._

"You ran into a wolf youkai?" Kagura grimaced. _Yeah. If you can call him that._

"He... uh, he - "

"What was his name?" Kagura blinked, and tried to look like she was stressing out from being reminded of the stupid wolf.

_Is it a trick question? I mean, seriously, should I tell him it was Kouga? What the hell am I doing?!?! How am I supposed to tell him without telling him?!?!?!?!_

"...I think, um, it was like Yoga or uh, Poga, or, erm - " _Oh. That's how._

"Kouga." Yes! She got away with it!

"I, I think that was it..." Thank god for Kanna and her voice lessons. Sesshoumaru gave her a lookover and something told Kagura that this wasn't going as well as she thought it was...

"Where were you?" His suspicious tone put her on the edge, but Naraku had stressed on what she was to tell him.

"I was in Fort Shikon."

**Fire and Ice**

**Chapter Eight**

**Seeing Her**

**by: bs**

As Bankotsu sat at his desk, drawing on his paper, a knock came to his door. When he opened it, Mayo was there.

"What is it?" The girl seemed nervous. What could have happened? "Is Inuyasha back?"

The girl shook her head. "No. But there are some men at the gate who claim they know you."

Bankotsu's heart almost stopped. "Wuh, what do they look like? How many are there?"

"There are five men." Bankotsu started breathing again. It couldn't be them.

"Alright. Let's go." As they strode through the curving corridors, Bankotsu wondered what a group of five men could possibly want with him. Well, that is, he **did** wonder about it until he saw Jakotsu waving enthusiastically through the bars of the gate.

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

As Kagura was escorted to her room, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Mentally of course. It would not be good to be found out... and fail Naraku. Besides, as long as she was here, she might as well take advantage of any bonuses...

...like a - "Oh! Is that a hot spring?!" The girl who was taking her around, Akama or something, looked peeved. Apparently she had just caught onto the fact that Kagura was not paying her any attention in the slightest.

"Yes." she said through a stifled voice. "And you would know where everything **else** was too if you had been _listening_"

"...oh. Okay." Kagura sniffed and continued looking around. The girl sighed.

"Look, if you're not going to pay attention, can I just take you to your room?" Kagura snapped her head and looked at the girl.

"Listen Akuma - "

"It's Ayame!"

" - you better not give me attitude. I don't like that. And what I don't like... **goes**." Kagura growled menacingly. She was pleased with the outcome. The girl shut up.

The girl scowled but continued chattering. Kagura knew she didn't have to pay attention, since Hakudoshi was already doing that for her.

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

Inuyasha returned, with about ten men who looked haggard. "Where were they?" Sango asked as she looked up from the fire.

"Fort Shikon." came the reply. Inuyasha looked very uneager to answer anymore questions and everyone began getting ready to move. Sango frowned as Inuyasha toddled away and Kagome gave a lazy look as she continued to stroke Aoi behind the ears.

Miroku was off somewhere, having been gone since morning. "Hey! Inuyasha!" Sango looked irritated. "If the fort was right over there then why didn't we just stay there?"

Inuyasha kept on walking. The rest of the men had begun forming a block and walking behind their lord. "HEY!" Sango got up and headed for Inuyasha. "Hello??"

Kagome decided she might as well follow, and got up. "They were already overcrowded! No room left so shut up!"

Sango shut up. And then opened her mouth again. "Well, why didn't we just get tents from **them** instead of going to the village?"

"..." Inuyasha chose not to answer. By this time everyone had gotten a steady sense of how fast they were walking and began to loosen up. Kagome followed, a few feet from them.

"They sent out a bunch of people. Tents were scarce."

"Oh. Okay." Sango seemed to accept the explanation and turned her head, looking for Kagome. When she found her, Sango stopped and turned to head towards the girl. They strode alongside each other, a companionable silence filling the air, a bird chirping here and there. Then Miroku ran up to them and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"ATTACK!!!!"

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

As Bankotsu sighed and sat the men down, he turned to Jakotsu. "What are you doing here?"

Jakotsu grinned, obviously happy about the fact that he still held Jakotsu in higher rank than Renkotsu, and answered gaily. "Well, we wanted some place to stay! And I thought that we could - "

"No." Jakotsu stopped and pouted.

"But I thought that - "

"No Jakotsu." Jakotsu sniffled and pouted, his eyes brimming with tears.

"DON'T YOU LOOOOOOOVEE MEEEEEE ANYYYYYYYMOOOOOOREEEEEE?!?!" He began bawling and crying, causing Bankotsu to twitch.

"If you stop I'll let you stay for awhile." The tears vanished.

"Really?! Oh wow! Thanks a bunch Bankotsu!"

"A short short while."

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

"Alright..." Inuyasha growled as he stationed himself behind a tree. "Bitch, go work your magic." Kagome gave him a piercing glare, but Inuyasha only grinned. "I love you too!"

Kagome shuffled towards the clearing, with a stiffened posture. She glanced back once to look at Aoi, who was chained to a tree next to Inuyasha. Aoi had contented himself to knawing on Inuyasha's left feet every now and then, much to the annoyance of the hanyou.

Time seemed to inch by as Kagome stood there and everyone else watched with baited breaths. "Inuyasha, are you sure it's safe to do this?"

"Hey, Sesshoumaru wanted her. She must be good." Sango rolled her eyes, but peered around her tree and watched Kagome. All this was because of stupid sibling rivalry... and Sango had yelled this into Inuyasha's ears many times before and something told her he knew it too...

They just had to get Sesshoumaru convinced about it too. The silence was soon disrupted again as a loud roar echoed through the trees and **something **rustled through the leaves. Soon enough, a giant form sprung into the air, making Sango gasp.

...of all the things it had to be, it haaaaaaaad to be a big lizard. Great. Things were going along and they were all just damn **peachy**.

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

"_Ooookay_..." Kagura lifted up the small slip of clothing that lay onto of her bed. "And what is _thiiis_?"

Ayame sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's all we could come up with. The women who stay here at not... the most modest lot."

"Oh."

"Yeah.. You're pretty lucky we could even **find** that!" Ayame grinned. "By the way, Sesshoumaru's assigned me to be your personal maid so you better get used to me! Call me if you need me! And the name's **AYAME**!" The redhead said all this in one breath and ran out the door.

"...gee, thanks." Kagura eyed the sorry excuse of clothing before sighing and grabbing the cloth, heading for the springs. _At least I'll get my own springs... and no stupid pervs..._

She tossed aside her tattered kimono and slipped into the warm water, relaxing in the springs. She closed her eyes and leaned back until she realized that someone was in the room with her. She snapped her eyes open and gasped.

Sesshoumaru was standing right behind her with a blank face.

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

"KAGOME!"

"STUPID BITCH!"

"RUUNNNN!!!"

At Miroku's call, all the men began to run to more secure ground... as in ground that did not occupy a giant lizard who had poison drool.

Kagome had just stood there as the lizard trampled over her and she was nowhere to be seen. Sango was dragged by Miroku away from where she had stood. Inuyasha had maintained his ground and had drawn Tetsusaiga.

"KAZE NO KI - " and Inuyasha tumbled to the ground as a blur of green and black shot forward and shoved him into the dirt. "You bitch!" Inuyasha spit out dirt from his mouth. "What the fuck do you think you are - " Inuyasha shut his mouth as he saw the lizard look at them with calculating eyes, watching warily.

"Stay down mutt." Kagome growled. Inuyasha gave her a glare, which quickly turned into a look of befuzzlement. When had she changed her clothes...?

She was wearing a strange, and very revealing gown of many shades of green. It covered her arms, but not her shoulder. It tightly clung to her chest and hips, but not her sleeves. Her sleeves were loose and flowing, with flares and frays at the end. It had a slit running up each side of her dress. Her hair had been put into a neat bun at the back of her head, and she was glowing green.

Hn. That was odd... and Inuyasha was about to comment on that as a green wave shot around them and encircled the lizard. Outraged at having been attacked, the massive reptile screeched and hit the shimmering green wall, only to be electrocuted. After a few seconds, in the place of the giant lizard, was a lump of burnt flesh... which was also letting out unfavorable odors.

"I bet you anything it tastes like chicken." Everyone's head turned in the direction of Miroku, and standing next to him was a very green looking Sango.

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

"What were you doing, staring at me like that?" Kagura snapped. Her hair was still wet from the soak. A very very short soak nonetheless. She had quickly covered herself and Sesshoumaru had given her the decency of dressing in private. But it wasn't really _that _much better anyway... the nightrobe covered her, but left her feeling more naked than ever.

Rather confusing, and this was why Kagura stuck to good old-fashioned kimonos.

"I did not say you could take a bath. I had been planning on asking you more." was the blunt and cold reply. Kagura sniffed.

"Well, couldn't you have at least knocked or something?"

"..." Sesshoumaru blinked.

"..." Kagura blinked. _Okaaaaaay. This is awkward_.

"..." Sesshoumaru was now just staring at Kagura, waiting for her to say something.

"..." _**Really **really awkward._

"Milord!" Kagura almost fell over when a short man - or was it a toad? - burst through the doors, squawking. Yes. Squawking.

"What is it Jaken?" Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow gracefully. "This better be _good_." His voice sounded menacing and stood up gracefully.

"Yes milord!" the toad thing squawked. "Inuyasha is on the move!" Sesshoumaru arched his other eyebrow gracefully.

_Damnn... he does everything so damn gracefully... gah! Am I sure he isn't gay??_

"You I shall deal with later. Do not wander around here. My men are not so considerate or gentle." and with those words he left the room. Kagura just sat there, staring at the open door, with just one thought running through her mind.

..._damn. He's creepy._

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

Kagome stood there watching the hanyou on the ground gape in astonishment. He slowly stood up, brushed his hands off and looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. He had just seen her display an enormous amount of power and had practically saved his life. And the first words he said to her were...

"You're creepy."

Sango would have fallen over if she hadn't been far far away from the deceased lizard, breathing deeply. She didn't like reptiles, dead **or** alive. Miroku, on the other hand, had seen many dead things in his time and quickly strode next to Inuyasha.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Being you."

"What did I do??" Inuyasha growled, rubbing his head. If he got a bump there Miroku was going to pay...

"Hello?! Kagome just saved your ass and all you can do is tell her she's creepy??" Miroku yelled.

"..." Inuyasha blinked.

"Well??"

"...who's Kagome?"

**----0-o-0-o-0-----**

"He saw you naked? Did you hit him?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "What else was I supposed to do? Screech and scream and cry for help?" She snorted rather Kagura-like and sat on her bed.

"No... you could have used that opportunity to seduce him. Hello? You. Naked. Him. Together. Hot springs. Has it clicked yet?"

"...pervert. Anyway, how are you on making maps of this fort anyway?"

Hakudoshi sighed and rubbed his temples. "Look. I'm just getting started. Okay. You're right. The longer you drag it out, the more time I have to make maps of this place. Okay. Okay. I won't report this to Naraku. Hate that bastard anyway."

"Amen to that."

"But you know you'll have to sleep with him eventually."

"Whatever. I'll do it when I have to."

"I know you're going to do it, but does Sesshoumaru?"

"...I'm not even going to answer that you perv."

Hakudoshi rolled his eyes and then faded away into the shadows in the corner. "Remember... don't let them find out... "

"Yeah yeah. Get out of my room now." Kagura got herself comfortable in her bed and instead of going to sleep, spent most of the night mulling over Hakudoshi's words.

**----0-o-0-o-0-----**

AN: Alrighty! This is in dedication to Sin... and that's why I tried to put more Kagura in here... TO SNUB IT IN HER FACE!!! HAHAHA.. ::cough:: Anyway, Sin always uses '**hn**' and I put that in one of the paragraphs there. I bet you didn't even notice... hah...so yeah. Dedicated to Sin. Might kill of a few characters just to spite her... but then that's just mean..


	10. Informing Her

* * *

AN: I love this song, **Moonlight Shadow... **it's a DDR song... but I love it SOO much. It's one of my all time favorites!! Just thought you'd like to know. 

_"...The last that ever she saw him  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow  
He passed on worried and warning  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow  
  
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night  
Far away on the other side  
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight  
And she couldn't find how to push through  
  
The trees that whisper in the evening  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow  
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving  
Carried away by a moonlight shadow  
  
All she saw was the silhouette of a gun  
Far away on the other side  
He was shot six times by a man on the run  
And she couldn't find how to push through  
  
I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven, far away  
I stay, I pray  
See you in heaven, one day..." -_ **Moonlight Shadow by Missing Heart**

* * *

"Tell me!" 

"No."

"Tell me!"

"No."

"Tell me dammit!!!!!"

"...no."

"Tell me!!"

"No."

"Tell - "

"SHUT UP!" Miroku ranted. "Holy shit! Shut up already!" A few men nodded their heads in agreement as they walked. "You should shut up because, **_surprise surprise_**, no matter how many times you tell her to tell you, _she won't._" Miroku was a _teensy bit _tired and irritated from walking for such a long time.

"...shut up." Inuyasha sulked. He glared at Miroku, as if it was his fault that Kagome was not listening to him.

"My god. Do we have to go through this everytime you don't get what you want?" Sango snapped. Turning to Kagome and acting as if Kagome had asked a question, "He sulks when he doesn't get what he wants. He refuses to talk to anyone."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Kagome asked, ignoring the pointed glare that Inuyasha was giving her.

Sango chuckled. "Hey... you're right!" Miroku shook his head.

"There are... stages in which he goes through... phases." Miroku grimaced as if he didn't enjoy the phases that much. Then brightened up. "Hey! That rhymed!"

"...you are mentally unstable. Anyway, Miroku's right. Inuyasha **does** go through stages..."

And as Sango was talking, the hanyou had taken to glaring pointedly at Sango and Miroku.

"...stage one... He likes to not talk and sulk. This time period on which it lasts varies. But during that time, no matter how pissed off you make him, and I know (she was remembering about the time she set his hair on fire), so it's pretty nice. Nice and quiet."

"Amen to that."

"The second stage, he finds one person (which was usually Miroku) and bickers and nags and picks at that person until he drives them insane."

"I hate that stage."

"Then he moves on and decides to make 'changes' with whatever he's doing, himself, or someone else. (She was remembering the time he decided to get her into a pink kimono. She almost stabbed him for that. Wait - she _did_. Oops.)"

"That stage isn't fun. He tried to convince me to grow my hair longer."

"...why?" Kagome blinked and asked.

"Oh! Pish..." Sango waved her hand absentmindly as if to wave off the question. "It's because he thinks that if he changes something, anything really, then his - I don't know actually." Sango mused. "Miroku? Any ideas?"

"Yes. And I know. It's all been confirmed that it is because he refuses to admit he is deeply and utterly in passionate love with me."

"...you could have just said you didn't know."

"But where would the fun have been in **that**?" Miroku asked her. Inuyasha had taken to walking right next to Miroku, on his left side, and glare very heatedly at his ear.

"So where are we going?"

"Oh. We're heading back to the main fort now. We'll reach it before night falls."

"Oh." Kagome paused for a few moments before speaking again. "Are there giant lizards there too?"

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

**Fire and Ice**

**Informing Her**

**by: bs**

**-----0-o-0-o-0-----**

_Alright. So this isn't how you thought it would be like... that's okay. I can do this. Now how the hell am I supposed to be able to find his room???_

Kagura cursed herself for not asking Hakudoshi for directions to the room. _Dammit! What the hell will I do if I get caught???_

"What are you doing?"

_Dammit._

"Oh... nothing. I just couldn't sleep and decided that..." Kagura turned around to see who she had been tittered off to, when she realized it was a child. A very very **small** child.

"Hello! Rin's name is Rin! What is your name?"

"Err - uh, Kagura...?" _What is a little kid that doing here?? Doesn't she know that Sesshoumaru will probably bite her head off?!?!_

"Will Kagura-sama play with Rin? Rin is very not sleepy and bored!" Rin was already pulling Kagura's hand along with her through the mess of curving corridors and halls.

"Hey, whoa, kid! Hey! HEEEY!" Kagura began to whimper unconsciously as the little girl (with inhuman strength) scampered along the wooden floors, letting Kagura slide around on the floors with a very wobbly sense of unease.

And that was before she lost control. And that was _before_ she let go of Kagura's hand. And that was **definitely** before Kagura shot through the bamboo screens.

* * *

It was a very good day indeed. Inuyasha had taken to striding along in front, dragging Miroku around without saying a word. Sango had ignored the fuming hanyou and lead Kagome to the middle of the block, so that they could talk without Inuyasha hearing a word of it. 

"So you don't have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I do not know if I have any half-blood running around though. My mother died when I was three."

"Oh." Sango hesitated and then continued. "My father passed away when I was younger too."

Kagome arched an eyebrow. "Really? So you are living with your mother with that idiot then?"

Sango smiled but then shook her head. "No. My mother passed away a while back when she was having my brother."

"Ah." Sango remained silent for awhile and Kagome thought it was not wise to push the subject. "So how long exactly have you known Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Doo up there?"

Sango giggled. "Oh, I've known Inuyasha since he was in diapers. Yes. I'm older than him..." she added as the mock shock look on Kagome's face made her grin, "But he refuses to admit it. Miroku, hmm... uh, lesse, I've known him for about three years. He came here looking for a job and Inuyasha gave him one."

"Ah. And what is it exactly you want with _me_?" Kagome asked. "I know you want me to help you win, but why?"

"Ah." Sango rubbed her temples. "Inuyasha's an idiot. He and his brother are waging war against each other, for the ownership to the kingdom. Rightfully, Sesshoumaru should own the South Lands and the East Lands while Inuyasha takes the North Lands and the West Lands, but... some complications came up."

"And what of that?"

"Well, it was never really **proclaimed** that each son should run those lands, but everyone knew, so when their father passed away last year... all hell broke lose. Apparently Sesshoumaru wasn't happy with the fact that he only got half the lands because he sees himself above the status of Inuyasha and wanted ownership of the whole kingdom."

"Wait - why?"

"Why what?" Sango frowned. "Eh?"

"Why does Sesshoumaru see himself as higher status?"

"Ah! I forgot. Sesshoumaru's a full-blooded demon. They're half-brothers. Oops. Ahahaa... Inuyasha would have killed me to hear that I referred to him as a real brother... oopsie! Yeah."

"Do they hate each other that much?"

"...uh, Sesshoumaru has never really had a liking to humans."

"...oh...hanyou."

"Yeah." Sango grimaced. "But it made for really funny family banquets! Yeah, I'll tell you those some other time where you can make full use of them. But anyway, Sesshoumaru had his father assassinated last year, and now Inuyasha is trying to rid him of his rights to own the South and East Lands, because he has to avenge his father by killing his brother. Oops. Half brother..."

"How difficult."

"Yeaha...and to make things worse, now Sesshoumaru's fighting against Inuyasha because he's saying that hanyou's are incompetent and have no brains to rule a kingdom as vast as the Inuyoukai's lands."

"...how nice."

"Yeah. Feel the love."

* * *

_Oh my gaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwdddddddddd... my head's going to split in two!!!!!_

"Kagura-sama! Kagura-sama! Are you awake?" The little child was shaking her and yelling at her head._ Ow..._

"Yes Rin... I'm awake **now**..." She slowly sat up, pushing aside the blanket as she did so. _Blanket...? Eh?_

"Oh good! Because Rin did not want Kagura-sama to be dead because then Rin would have no one to play with! Jaken-sama isn't good at playing dress up either! And how is Kagura-sama's head? Kagura-sama, you hit that screen really hard! Rin saw it go _boom_ and _pach _when Kagura-sama hit that screen. It is good that Kagura-sama is awake now because Kagura-sama looked dead and Sesshoumaru-sama looked mad but he did not tell Rin and Rin heard Sesshoumaru-sama yelling at Jaken-sama later and Jaken-sama came and was going to yell at Rin because that was Jaken-sama's favorite screen but Jaken-sama didn't because Sesshoumaru-sama came into the room and kicked Jaken-sama in the head and it was funny because Jaken-sama sort of flew out of the room and landed in the koi pond. Rin hopes Jaken-sama didn't kill any of the fishes because those are Rin's favorite and Sesshoumaru-sama just left because he had to do some **important stuff** and he told me to take good care of you and not let Jaken-sama into the room. Sesshoumaru-sama looks worried, yes he did. Kagura-sama, are you okay?"

"...no." Kagura moaned and plopped herself back down, grabbing a pillow and pushing it onto her face, trying to get rid of that kangaroo in her head that was bouncing around.

_"AIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! KAGURA-SAMA! DON'T DO THAT_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rin screamed and leapt up, from the sounds of it, and violently pulled the pillow away from her. She tossed it across the room as if it were on fire. Of course, if it were on fire, that would not have been wise in a room made of wood but all was okay because it wasn't.

"You know you are _reaaaaaaally_ loud and _reaaaaaaaaally_ strong for something _soooooooo_ small?" Kagura snapped. Rin immediately smiled. But then gasped, showing Kagura a big gap in the front of her mouth where her front teeth should be.

"Oh no! Is Kagura-sama mad at Rin?? Because Rin did not mean to make Kagura-sama mad! Please don't be mad at Rin Kagura-sama! Pretty please? Please???"

"I will forgive you if you stop talking for a few moments. Kagura-sama has a very **very** ugly headache."

Rin cheered up and clapped her hands, but stopped and looked bashfully at Kagura as if she had done something wrong again. "Okay." she whispered and remained quiet as Kagura got up, looked around wearily. Then she asked, "How can a headache be ugly? Does your head turn ugly and everyone run away because of the ugly head? Is that why Kagura-sama wants Rin to be quiet? Because Rin - "

_Oh dear god. That kid will NOT shut up! Wait - did she say Sesshoumaru came and saw me?_

" - so Kagura-sama, you should not worry because Rin thinks your head looks pretty!"

* * *

He slowly pushed the door open, shoving his head out and darting it left and right to see if the hallway was clear. It was a go. He darted away from the door and began sprinting for the giant double doors at the end of the hall. 

"Where are _you_ going?" A voice asked sleepily from behind him.

"Ahh... Jakotsu, what are you doing up?" Bankotsu chuckled nervously and turned around, scratching the back of his head.

"Hm... I dunno. I guess the noise woke me up."

Bankotsu blinked. "What noise?"

"Oh.. you know. The noise that's downstairs and sounds like sword fighting and stuff yanno? Anyway, was just wondering. Going to night night now. Night night." Jakotsu yawned and leaned in, giving Bankotsu a massive bear hug before bounding into his room. Bankotsu just blinked.

"Sword fight...?" Bankotsu muttered... and then promptly rushed down the stairs.

* * *

"Alright, **NOT FUNNY!!!!**" Miroku ranted. He was desperately trying to get through the gates. The guards that were _supposed_ to unlatch the locks were laughing **too damn hard at nothing** to open them though. 

Damn Inuyasha... and to make things even more hunky-dory, Bankotsu of all people, chose to burst through the main doors and see him in all of his glory in his pink and purple kimono, courtesy of the village a few hours ago. And they couldn't forget the pigtails... or the whore-esque makeup on of Sango.

Why the hell did Inuyasha always have to "improve" him???

* * *

Renkotsu stepped away from the window and grinned. "Alright gentlemen, time to execute Plan A." 

Jakotsu nodded. "Okay!"

"Ginkotsu, remember, are to be in the gardens tomorrow. Suikotsu, we will not need you for this plan, and Jakotsu, remember to bring the stuff."

"Okay!" came a chorus of cheers.

"...what was the stuff again? OW!"

* * *

AN: Alrighty. Shorter than usual, but I wanted to end it here... and I do so love Rin here... ahaha.... 


	11. Sleeping Arrangements and New Pets

AN: No. I'm not dead. Just been busy. And I got sick of the "...Her" titles. so i quit. HAH!

* * *

"Look! I told you once and I'll tell you again Miroku – "

"If you keep asking all the paid to bear your children then I'll make sure there isn't a possible way for that to _happen_!!"

Sango stared at Inuyasha. "You cut me off."

"Eh – you were going to say the same thing." Sango sighed and nodded. Miroku's stiffened back relaxed immediately.

"Oh good. I thought you guys were going to – ow."

"Do that?"

"I thought one – not TWO! Man – Sango, what have you been doing to that fist of yours?"

"I held it over the fire so now it obeys me when I want to hit something – especially _someone_ very hard." Miroku stopped drooping over his aching jawbone and peered at her with interest. "…I was kidding."

"I don't think any of the ladies here are too eager to sleep with him anyway. Especially after seeing him in his – hah, _kimonoooo_…" Inuyasha snorted as he noticed two maids scurry by quickly, holding in their giggles.

"Aye, Inuyasha, you have wounded me with your cold cold heart."

"I'll wound you with my _cold cold_ sword if you don't hurry up and find out how we're going to accommodate – _that_."

"It's Kagome Inuyasha. KA. GO. ME." Sango said in a clipped tone. "She's not going to be very co-operative if you keep referring to her as if she was just a really big Tetsuaiga you know?"

Inuyasha shrugged and began to wander off. "I better go find Bankotsu anyway."

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

"Find that wench a room to sleep in. I don't want her outside like last night." Sango smiled, while thinking… b_ut she wouldn't have if you would have just let Aoi wander around like she **asked** you for…_ and what she really said was…

"Well you seem to be warming up to her already!"

"No – just don't want her escaping at night. Keep her close to my room!" Inuyasha half turned his head to call back to Sango and she oozed annoyance at seeing his grin.

_Fine. Close to you was it? She'll be closer than you think…_ Sango grinned maliciously.

"Would you like something to ease your pain Sango? OW!"

**Fire and Ice**

**Sleeping Arrangements and New Pets**

**By: bs**

Kagome awoke on top of a haystack. _Nhggg…_ was her only thought as she sat up and began picking all the hay out of her hair. She busily set herself to the task of removing every single last _piece _of that stupid hay from her that very instant. Aoi, lazing about on the ground in chains, lazily lifted his head and opened an eye to scope what she was doing.

Content, the wolf went back to dozing. As Kagome was brushing her fingers through her hair, the barn door opened and a head peeked through the crack before a lone figure stepped into the barn.

Kagome slowed her movements, but continued brushing through her hair at a steady pace. She watched with interest as Sango began to tiptoe through all the hay and peer all over, glancing quickly over Aoi.

_Do you think she's looking for me? _Kagome sent down a questioning glance at the wolf, but Aoi instinctively stayed "sleeping".

_No. She likes to play hide and seek with her little invisible friends. _Aoi replied with a bored tone.

_Oh. Okay. _Kagome grinned and contemplated staying up in the rafter until Sango left. And so she swung her legs back up soundlessly, and placed them comfortably among the straw.

She then shifted ever so slightly – and the air was suddenly filled with dust for a few seconds, causing Kagome to cough.

Sango, too, was having difficulty breathing in the makeshift sandstorm. Or was it a strawstorm?

As the straw began to settle, along with the evil dust, Sango peered up at Kagome. "Hello. What are you doing up there?"

"The ground is full of evil straw."

"So is the rafter." Sango pointed out. Kagome shrugged and leapt down, landing on her feet.

"What do you want?"

"You're sleeping in the fort tonight. There is no way I'm letting you sleep in here for one more night!" Kagome gave her skeptical look before giving Aoi a quick glance, who, miraculously had "woken up".

"What about him?" Kagome asked, cocking her head every so slightly to the left, gazing at Sango with unblinking eyes.

"Inuyasha just said you were sleeping inside tonight. And knowing him… if I don't make you sleep inside tonight he's going to have a tantrum so I guess so. I mean, what _else _can I do? Hm?" Sango gave her a wicked grin.

"Ah. Let us go see my room then…"

"Yes. Let's."

* * *

"I tell you to go to the gardens, and to shoot him. And what do you do??"

"Um… not shoot him?" Jakotsu replied meekly. Renkotsu paced the room, turning his head to glare at Jakotsu every now and then.

"No! Well, yes, but you **also overslept**. That was NOT in the plan!" Renkotsu raged on.

Jakotsu sighed. "Everything I do is never good enough. Even though I try, I've tried to make you happy. I've tried to do exactly what you tell me. And I strive and I try so hard. I give it my all. And this time – I'm just never good enough am I?"

"Jakotsu – " Renkotsu started, but was cut off.

"No Renkotsu. I'm tired of this! I can't take this anymore. If you are going to abuse our relationship like it meant nothing to you I don't think I can do this anymore!" Jakotsu closed dramatically, complete with gushing tears.

"If you are going to imply that I have a meaningful relationship with you then it might be in your best interest to leave." Renkotsu stated, giving Jakotsu a blank look.

Mukotsu tried to hide his snorts of laughter while Suikotsu just blatantly laughed. "Ah, brother you should not be so cruel to Jakotsu. You mean the world to him."

"Shut up Suikotsu. And Jakotsu, I want to execute Plan B soon." Renkotsu gave him a steely glare.

"Does it involve bombs?" Ginkotsu looked up with interest at the word.

"…no." Ginkotsu went back to fiddling with his arm.

"Does it involve poisonous gases?" Mukotsu looked eager.

"…no." Mukotsu frowned.

"Does it involve – "

"No."

"But I didn't – "

"I don't care."

* * *

Kagura sat there, sullenly watching the _Little Thing_, as she had dubbed it, prance around the room, chattering animatedly. Well, it was actually short for _The Little Thing That Runs Around and Won't Shut Up While Being So Damn Happy_. But that was mouthful. So _The Little Thing_ Rin was.

"So Kagura-sama, you must always remember this scary tale of the pillow!!" Rin exclaimed.

"Uh huh. Sure kiddo. When's Sesshoumaru-_saaaaaaaaaaama_ coming back anyway?" Kagura drawled out his name, making sure the lace the sarcasm on thick.

Children. So naïve, and in so many ways. "Oh! Rin does not know when Sesshoumaru-sama will be back but Rin knows that he will come back because Sesshoumaru-sama always does!!!!"

"Greaaaaaaaat."

"This is so fun Kagura-sama! Most of the other people here do not like it when Rin is around and they go away. Except for Jaken-sama." Rin paused, and looked as if she was in deep thought. "And Sesshoumaru-sama too! But they all think Rin is not good for here so Rin is not happy happy."

"I wonder why."

"Rin does too! Rin tries to be very nice and smiley but they all just run away when I don't know why and they come back tired and MEAN and grouchy! So Sesshoumaru-sama made sure that anyone that was mean to Rin was not happy so Rin was happy since Rin has Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaaaaaaken-sama but now Rin has Kagura-sama too so Rin is so happy today!"

_Jeesh. The way she goes on about that toad is as if she loved him or something. Hah! I bet no one's loved that thing since the dawn of time._

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Hey Rin. You know this fort really well right?" Rin grinned.

"Yes! Rin knows the fort as well as she knows the back of the moon!"

"I think you mean the back of your hand."

"Does Kagura-sama want Rin to show her around?" Rin chattered excitedly, as if she were a puppy. _How… happy…_

And then someone interrupted their little conversation.

"That wouldn't be wise. And Rin – stop being so noisy."

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaaaaaa!!!" was the squeal emitted from Rin as she ran forth and attacked his right leg, trapping it in a death grip.

* * *

"This room smells like that hanyou."

"This whole fort smells like Inuyasha. You can't run away from his scent. He's all over the place." Sango grinned. "Just get used to it okay?"

Kagome didn't answer, and instead chose to scan her eyes over the room, taking in the bed, complete with a canopy, and the lush furniture hanging about the room. There were scenic tapestries hung on three of the five walls (the room itself was the shape of a pentagon) and the other wall contained a picture of Inuyasha himself – "How egotistical," - and the other wall contained a picture of a rather formal and beautiful woman.

"This seems too nice of a room for me. Is this a trick?" Kagome asked as she took steps towards the painting of the woman.

"Ah ha ha…_noooo_… why would you say that?" Sango chuckled rather loudly. "Now, would you like to see the rest of the place? If I don't show you around, you might get lost. Now let's get started on finding the kitchen…" Sango placed two hands firmly on Kagome's shoulders and began to guide her out of the room.

* * *

"She's up to something."

"She's always up to something."

"That's what I love about her."

"You also love a lot more things about her." Inuyasha grumbled.

Miroku nodded and wisely began talking, "Ah yes, I love the way her hand caresses my cheek, the way she brushes her legs innocently against mine, and the way she holds her love heavily over my head."

Bankotsu snorted. "You mean how she slaps you, how she kicks you, and how she beats you up with Hiraikotsu."

"…that too. But there are so many irresistible qualities of my love that I cannot begin to describe them all."

"Then don't." Miroku gave Inuyasha a sour look.

"I wouldn't have bothered. That description was the closest I could get to explaining something so complex and beautiful to beings like you two."

"Can we just get back to business?" Inuyasha sighed. "We really _really_ need to find out of this rumor's true or not."

"You are really stressed now aren't you?" Bankotsu gave Miroku a worried look, and the monk, now turned cook, just shook his head and shrugged.

"Eh, Miroku. Just go and find out if Sesshoumaru's sending troops right now."

"Aye aye Captain Yasha!"

* * *

The maids in the hallway were steadily at their task, dusting the walls, and the alcoves were being cleaned furiously.

"Kira, how are you getting along with that Taka of yours?" a maid slyly whispered as they neared each other while dusting away.

The other girl, obviously younger, blushed. "Oh shush Natsumi! You _know_ how he is…"

"Okay okay…" Natsumi grinned. "But do tell me when you think he's going to propose.."

"Actually… my brother told me Taka and his friends have been acting rather suspicious lately, and I think he's going to propose this month."

"Finally! I mean – AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Natsumi shrieked, and backed away from the wall. She dropped her cleaning rags and gaped in shock.

"What's the matter?" Kira asked, scooting forward, and turned around to see what Natsumi was gazing at. "It's… it's… it's an overgrown dust bunny!"

"Are dust bunnies normally orange?"

"I didn't know they wore clothes either." Kira, having plucked up her courage, scooted over to the wall and retrieved the bundle of orange fluff that was hiding in the alcove.

And that was how Shippou woke up, with two faces inches away from his. "Aww… he's so darling! Kira, you should take him home and keep him as a pet!"

"Ah! Get away from me!" Shippou clawed frantically at the air in front of the two girls' faces.

"Isn't he just the most darling thing?"

"I think I will keep him!"

"No! You cannot obstruct the might kitsune! You can't not obey me! Let me go woman! Let me gooo!!!"

* * *

Kagura sipped her tea as she carefully watched the Little Thing climb all over Sesshoumaru_-saaaaaaama_ and chatter away.

" – and Jaken-sama tried to sneak back in while Kagura-sama was sleeping so Rin started yelling at Jaken-sama." Rin nodded with satisfaction. "Did Rin do good Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Go outside and look at the koi fish."

"Yes sir Sesshoumaru-sama!!!" Rin ran outside, but turned around to gently slide the door shut. "I'll be _very very_ quiet Sesshoumaru-sama. I don't want Kagura-sama's head to become ugly." And with that final statement, the door slide shut, leaving Sesshoumaru to stare at Kagura.

"What?" she snapped, loosing her control. Being stuck in a room with that _little thing_ was far too much for her.

"Who _are_ you?" he growled. Kagura narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are _you_ talking about? I already told you. I'm Kagura."

"That does not answer my question."

"Yes it does." Kagura sipped some tea. "I think you are getting suspicious of me Sesshoumaru-_kun_. You're just getting all worked up over me, just someone who's extremely bitter and in a bitch mode right now."

"…" Sesshoumaru didn't say anything, but Kagura knew it worked. His right eyebrow twitched when she said "kun".

"And I think that you should give me a little bit more respect than you're giving me right now. Hell, you give that thing more respect than me."

"You talk a lot."

"You don't talk enough."

"You need to learn to be quiet."

"You need to lighten up."

"You need to learn manners."

"You need to stop being so dull."

"And you need to stop talking."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagura-sama need to come outside and see what Rin sees!"

_Ah. The return of the Little Thing. Joyfulness._

* * *

As Sango insisted on showing Kagome around, Miroku insisted equally on accompanying them.

"And that over there is where – "

"I met my first girlfriend. I believe her name was Tsuki… or was it Satsuki. Either way, she had the biggest – "

"Miroku!" was a hiss from Sango.

" – heart I have ever known."

"I suppose the rest of this dainty little tour will be memories of Miroku's quaint, yet plentiful relationships." Kagome gave a little grin.

"Shall I tell you of the first time I cast eyes on Sango?"

"No."

"But Sango, it was such a fateful and beautiful evening when I first set eyes upon you. The way you widened your eyes at seeing me enter the room made me feel so loved. And I can never forget what your first words were to me. Not in a million years Sango."

"Even you can make the scenario where you walk into me taking a bath sound slightly romantic."

Kagome twitched. "He did that?"

"And he just stood there staring too. If Inuyasha hadn't burst in at that moment I don't know what I would've done."

"Yeah. You wouldn't have ever seen that hanyou turn red. He's such a prude you know. He's no fun at all."

"I'm sure Kikyou would like if it he ran around getting all the girls he wanted into bed wouldn't she?"

"That would be a nice change don't you think? And maybe Kikyou could – I'm just kidding. Kidding. I'm going to go fulfill my duties as a cook now. Until we meet again dear Sango!"

"…I hate him."

"Oh – didn't I tell you? You remember that portrait of the woman in your bedroom?" Sango asked as they continued down the hall. "Well that's her. She's Inuyasha's wife."

* * *

"It's not my fault I didn't know he took his morning strolls at night!"

"Well you obviously had some bad informants didn't you?"

"Well Yura was always really forgetful so I can't say that I – "

"Just make sure Plan B doesn't go wrong."

"…oh. Okay. Why?"

"…"

* * *

AN: Oh bother. There was something important I was going to say but now I can't remember.

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't worry. I have plans for the next chapter and I promise I'll have it up by St. Valentine's Day. Or is that too far off...? Eh he he...


	12. Thinking Ahead

"Hey, who exactly _are_ those five guys living here?" Inuyasha slanted a look at his general, who sighed and nodded his head.

"Inuyasha, I think it's time I told you something." He sat up straighter and took a deep breath, only to have Inuyasha interrupt him.

"Please don't be coming out of the closet."

"I was never in the closet to begin with," muttered Bankotsu.

"Whoops. Mixed you up with Miroku for a second there."

"Hey! **I** was NEVER in the closet to begin with!" said the protesting monk.

"That's what the people who are in the closet always say."

"Who do you know that's in a closet?"

"You."

"I am not in the closet! I was never in the closet dammit!" ranted Miroku. He was rather frustrated. Besides, he wanted an answer to Inuyasha's question. One of the men, who was obviously queer, kept giving him these suggestive looks.

"I wonder where the closet _is_…" Inuyasha pondered.

"THERE IS NO FREAKIN CLOSET!"

* * *

**Fire and Ice **

**Thinking Ahead...**

**By: bs**

* * *

"Kinda weird how he actually managed to get married, don't you think?" Kagome looked over at Sango, who had resumed her duties as a cook, most likely without informing Inuyasha, but who was Kagome to judge? 

Sango stopped kneading the dough she had and just stared at Kagome. "Sango…?"

Sango burst out laughing. "That – that is **so rich**…!" After a few minutes of Sango's inconsistent laughter, with small comments such as, "Inuyasha… married! HAH!" and "Poor naïve fools…"

Kagome seeing how Sango was a bit – preoccupied, decided to continue shaping her little globs of dough.

* * *

"Suikotsu. This task remains in your hands." Renkotsu gave Suikotsu a steely stare. "If you screw this up I'm going to do something drastic." 

Renkotsu's tone just added to the morbid mood of the basement that they were currently occupying. It seemed that the basement was a torture chamber of sorts… with a low swinging chandelier to top it all off.

"Like take away his belt?"

"No Jakotsu. You shut up. I will make sure you never forget this mission if you fail."

"But I don't want to kill him," sighed Suikotsu. "Why is it always me?"

"Because you're gooooood at it!"

"I said shut up Jakotsu. Anyway, as you have pointed out. There is a problem… you dislike killing. But your other side doesn't."

Renkotsu grinned maliciously.

"Ohhh… I get it! So all we have to do is – "

"I said **SHUT UP** Jakotsu."

Jakotsu pouted. "But it's not fair!"

"Fine. You can be involved."

This made the man light up. "Really? What do I get to do?"

Renkotsu drew a dagger. "Slit your wrist and show Suikotsu the blood."

"Oh… um. Whyyy?"

"You're making me impatient. I just might do it for you. I won't be gentle."

"Oh you _never_ are Renkotsu. That's what I love about you."

"Your sarcasm shines through brilliantly."

"Thank you."

Renkotsu motioned toward the dagger. "Now will you…?"

"Ermm…" Jakotsu held the knife against his wrist. And began to slice when… "NO! CAN'T DO IT! It burns us Renkotsu. It _burns us_…"

"If you don't fucking want to do it then just don't do it then!" Renkotsu snapped.

Jakotsu was rubbing him raw… how did Bankotsu ever manage to shut him _up_?

"Mukotsu. You do it." The dagger was tossed. Mukotsu grunted and slit his wrist, holding it up to show Suikotsu.

Suikotsu's face began to ashen… and then…

"Whoa… why is your blood green?"

"It's not working. I think it has to be red blood."

"Ginkotsu! YOU do it!"

"Ginkotsu has too much metal. It wouldn't work…" Jakotsu sighed. "What a pity." Then an idea struck him. "Suikotsu… why don't _you_ slit your wrist?"

"How about you?" was the cold reply.

"Mou… you're the _"leader"_ now Suikotsu! Take responsibility!" Jakotsu gloated. Ah… what fun.

Renkotsu growled. And swiped the dagger from Mukotsu, grabbed Jakotsu's right wrist, and slit it ((none too gently)) and raised it for Suikotsu to see.

"There," was all that was said as he let go of Jakotsu's hand and wiped off the dagger.

Jakotsu pouted.

Suikotsu, had as Renkotsu planned, turned to his darker side. The jagged stripes appeared before his eyes, and Renkotsu eagerly handed him his weapons.

"Everything shall go forth as planned now." Suikotsu grunted and began clambering up the stairs. The whole plan was to send him to Inuyasha's room and wait until the hanyou arrived and began to sleep in his room.

Then Suikotsu would strike and gouge out his heart. The next day there would be panic. An absolutely chaotic mess.

Unfortunately, Suikotsu was unable to follow through with the plan.

Renkotsu turned around in annoyance as he heard a loud _thunk_ and watched as Suikotsu tumbled down the stairs after hitting his head on a low beam.

"My, my. And all that trouble we went through to turn his dark side on…" Jakotsu noted dryly.

* * *

Kagura stood awkwardly at the end of the koi pond, staring at what appeared to be an endless amount of fish swimming in the pond. 

Well – that was if you could _call_ the monstrosity of a swimming pool a _pond_. Kagura felt that it must have been an old bathing pool. It seemed like it was a lake. A massive lake.

There was a clump of growing cherry blossom trees on the far corner, shading almost a fourth of the pond.

Closer to Rin (who was practically glued to Kagura, tugging at her hand to show her the fish) there were azaleas, chrysanthemums, peonies, and lilies (among other flowers that she couldn't name) placed in an intricate pattern to look like a gigantic picture. Kagura squinted her eyes, but couldn't quite make out what it was supposed to be.

"See this white fishy! Do you see it Kagura-sama?"

"Uh huh…" Kagura nodded absentmindedly, still gazing at the flowers. Rin tugged a bit harder on Kagura's hand, making her look down to glare at the _little thing_, but when Rin's eyes met hers she just blinked.

"Look! I call this fishy Sesshoumaru-kun!" Kagura gave the demon lord a quick glance at hearing this.

Sesshoumaru was gazing out into the horizon as if he couldn't hear them.

"Why… why do you call that fish Sesshoumaru-kun?" Kagura stifled a laugh. And she just about died when Rin looked up at her with those wide, innocent eyes and told her why.

* * *

After Sango was through with her little laughing escapade, she decided it would be a good time to explain to Kagome the exact details of Inuyasha's marriage. 

"Ah. Kagome… you want to know why Kikyou has married Inuyasha?"

"Okay.."

"Are you ready to hear this exciting reason?" Sango pepped Kagome up. She loved doing this.

"Not really…" Kagome went back to shaping her little dough balls. Sango's shoulders slackened.

"Kagome – I am trying to properly tell you a good story. Now do you want to hear it?"

"I was just trying to make conversation," was the blatant reply. "Why are _you_ so insistent on telling me this?"

"I love telling this story. You can't possibly imagine how many people I've told this."

Kagome looked up for a moment at Sango. "Do tell."

"Okay! It all started back when Inuyasha was a miserable old bachelor – "

"…he doesn't look that old."

" – he isn't – and he was all alone. No one to love him. No one to cherish him. Demons shunned him and us human girls ran away from him in fear – "

"… I see you haven't."

" – ew. He's like a brother to me – and Kikyou suddenly showed up out of nowhere one day and they **_bonded_** and six months later they were wed. They've pledged to each other for all of eternity – through hell and back… isn't that _romantic_?"

"Not particularly."

Sango huffed and went back to focusing on _her_ dough balls. That story was romantic, yes it was! Everyone Sango had told it to had gotten gushy (well, all the girls had) and started to moan about their own love lives.

Apparently Kagome was a one-of-a-kind girl. A pity. Sango really wished to learn what went on in that head of her. She had barely known her for three whole days and the girl was a mysterious thing.

* * *

"Okay – let me get this straight," Miroku cleared his throat and continued, "you used to be part of a gang, right?" This was confirmed by a nod from Bankotsu. "And here now the five men who are staying with us also used to be part of that forementioned gang?" Another nod. "And you used to be the LEADER of that gang?" Bankotsu glared but confirmed the question again with a nod. "So, I have a question for you. Why are you _here_ when you could have been a leader of that infamous gang?" 

"Just a question eh?" Bankotsu raised his eyebrow. "I left because I got tired of it all. We were just mercenaries after all."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Miroku was just going to push Bankotsu's buttons. "Now that we have that dandy little thing cleared up, I want to get it confirmed. Miroku, did you get the answer for Sesshoumaru's troops? I figure that if you haven't run around panicking by now that means we're in a temporary "peace" I suppose?"

Miroku shook his head. "Well – it's like that. It isn't very serious. Sesshoumaru's just sent in a few demons here and there, trying to create havoc in the smaller villages but so far it's been alright and the guards set up at each post have been able to ward them off."

Inuyasha nodded.

"But the thing is that some of the guards have been detecting a big moment of youkai aura coming closer everyday. They suspect that Sesshoumaru's sending some big guys in. But they aren't over in our country yet."

Inuyasha frowned. "Bankotsu, any suggestions?"

"I think I can get some good answers." He grinned. "After all, what good is it to be an ex-evil gang leader if I can't use some influence every now and then?"

As Bankotsu arose to go and talk to his former gang members, Inuyasha suddenly sat straighter.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you the cook?"

Miroku sighed, "Do I need a constant reminder of your harassing me? And your abuse of power?"

"No. I meant who's making dinner?"

"Sango. Probably. I haven't seen her all day."

Inuyasha nodded. And then, "you mean after she made you go away because you were bothering her and that bitch right?"

"Again – your abuse of power threatens me significantly."

"That's just your pervertedness showing monk."

* * *

AN: This chapter's just a bit short but I wanted to make sure I committed myself to regular posting... hm... yeah. 

Anyway, if you want to see some of the flowers I mentioned, there's a link. And ff dot net is quite the bitch when it comes to putting up links so i had to insert all these random spaces. enjoy! and yes. i know this chapter didn't go anywhere. it's kind of a FILLER...

htt p:ho mep age 3.ni fty .com/ pla ntsa ndja pan/in d ex.h tml


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